Officials explain policy for collecting leaves & branches

A leaf pickup map is on the township’s website.

Elizabeth Township public works supervisor Tom Methven addressed some changes with leaf and branch collection for fall at a meeting last week.

The Mount Vernon, Greenock and Boston areas of the township fill up first with leaf collection, according to Methven, due to more vegetation and urbanization. But instead of public works driving throughout the township looking for piles of leaves, there will be a scheduled day for five sections of the township. The fall leaf pickup map is on the township’s website.

“If you have a lot of leaves, we’ll do our best,” Methven said. “This will compartmentalize that operation — make it more efficient. We’ll work around the ball, but I think having that day-of-the-week schedule helps the residents know when we’re coming and helps my guys better efficiently operate. Now if we don’t get them all that day, we will come back the next week and get them all, but our goal is to get them all that day.”

Methven said leaves should be in a bag within 5 feet of the curb because public works can’t go into people’s yards to rake them and the machine they use to collect leaves only stretches so far.

“I can’t devote that much manpower to it with all the operational needs on the roads right now,” Methven said. “So hopefully that will speed up efficiency.”

The leaf and branch dropoff service at the township building the last Thursday of the month is still in place. Residents must present an ID, and they can bring their leaves and bring branches from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Upcoming dates for the drop-off are Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov. 21 and Dec. 26. Drop-off collection will take place at the municipal building (522 Rock Run Road) in front of the side fence at a drop-off sign.

Contractors, dump truck loads, stumps, hedges, dirt, branches with Christmas lights in them and anything that isn’t leaves and branches will not be accepted and should be disposed of by the resident, according to Methven.

“We don’t want your shingles, landscaping ties. If you rip out your landscaping and it’s wood, we don’t want that,” Methven said. “There’s nails in there. It’s not an actual growing vegetation. Don’t bring any firewood that you can’t burn. It’s just leaves in branches.

If you bring your leaves, leave them in the bag.

“Don’t dump them out on the ground; it’s impossible to get them all up. So leave them bagged, we’ll take it. If you bring your vegetation up, keep it a nice orderly pile as best as you can, but any foreign debris. If it’s not cut branches, we can’t chip that stuff. That does too much damage to the machinery. That’s too costly to repair if it does happen.”

Public works will schedule a day in November when they will go around the township, and if a resident calls or emails them at 412-751-2880 Ext. 1029 or tmethven@elizabethtwppa.com, public works will collect larger branches.

More information about leaf and branch collection in the township can be found at https://www.elizabethtownshippa. com/brush-collection. It will also be published in the township’s fall newsletter.

In other business, the township: • Is looking for a new building inspector/code enforcement official. The township voted to approve the hiring of a part-time code enforcement assistant. Anyone interested in the position can send a resume to Township Manager Greg Butler at gbutler@elizabethtwppa.com or mail it to the Elizabeth Township Municipal Building. Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled, and the requirements can be found on the township’s website.

• Discussed Highland Meadows’ new pickleball court, which is estimated to be finished by the first week of October. It was supposed to be done this summer, but there was a discrepancy related to the bid drawing, according to township KLH Engineer Kevin Creagh.