It’s Fall Leaf Cleanup Week!
With the weather warming up it’s perfect timing to clean up all the leaves that have been accumulating before the next round of snow hits!
Storm drains feed directly into our local lakes and rivers, unfiltered, so it’s important to keep them clear for cleaner and healthier waterways. Fall is an especially important time to keep the leaves that are collecting on our streets and sidewalks out of our storm drains. While they might be “natural” debris they become pollution when large quantities hit the water and break down becoming food for algae.
Make sure you’re ready for the week with this checklist of things to do.
1. Adopt an available storm drain near you at http://adopt-a-drain.org if you haven’t already (or feel free to adopt more if you already have an adopted drain)
2. Gather the tools you'll need. These might include: gloves, rake, trash grabber, dustpan, safety vest, bins for separating waste, yard and/or trash bag
3. Collect and separate trash and recycling from the area around your adopted drain
4. Rake or sweep up leaves, sediment and sticks and place in compost or yard waste bag
5. Estimate and report the debris you collect from 10/26/2020-11/1/2020 and you’ll be entered to win a tote bag
6. (Optional, but greatly appreciated!) Take a before and after photo of your efforts and share it on your Facebook or Instagram and tag us!
