Road Department Leaf Pickup

2010 Leaf Pickup Program Starts April 19, 2010 for a One-Time Pickup. 

Township Road Department crews offers Leaf Pickup twice (2) each year.

The first leaf pickup service is the "SPRING CLEAN UP", April 19, 2010, this service is a ONE TIME PICKUP.   Leaves should be placed at the curb side or along the edge of the street and free of brush and garden waste allowing our crews to work efficiently.  Crews are unable to pickup leaves mixed with brush and other items.  PLEASE DO NOT PLACE LEAVES IN THE STREET OR IN PLASTIC BAGS.

The second leaf pickup service starts mid October and continues through the end of November, performed on a patrol basis. The LAST LEAF PICKUP CYCLE starts on the first Monday in December. One cycle through the Township requires 17 days, then crews start over again performing additional cycles. Depending on weather conditions, our goal is to perform at least four (4) pickup cycles.  Leaves should be placed at the curb side or along the edge of the street and free of brush and garden waste allowing our crews to work efficiently.  Crews are unable to pickup leaves mixed with brush and other items.  PLEASE DO NOT PLACE LEAVES IN THE STREET OR IN PLASTIC BAGS.

Leaf Pickup Facts:
The Township’s leaf pickup program consists of servicing 131 miles of residential roads, 32 miles of County roads, and 10 miles of State Highways, totaling 173 miles of roadways. Our community’s landscape largely consists of wooded areas. (Sylvania is Latin for “Wooded Area”) These trees are very beautiful and a true nature’s jewel, until the leaves drop and fall to the ground. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decides when the leaves fall, and some years the leaves drop late in the season and all at once. The Road Crews start leaf pickup as early as the first week of October. The “soft wood” trees drop their leaves the earliest. As the leaves fall, the Road Department devotes its entire staff to operate 5 crews during the leaf pickup season. Each crew consists of 2 full time employees and 1 or 2 part time/temporary employees. Early snowfalls and above average rain are two factors that spell trouble for leaf pickup. These attributes cause the leaves to become saturated and “heavy” to pick up, thus causing inefficiencies. Our preferred and most efficient method of picking up leaves is utilizing “vacuum tow behind” type of equipment. However, if we encounter above average snow falls and rain, then our crews switch to front loader buckets and dump trucks. We are aware that it is frustrating waiting for your neighborhood pickup. The average truck hauls 14 cubic yards of leaves and the average leaf pickup season produces 1800 truck loads. Our crews work 55 hours per week during the leaf pickup program. During a difficult leaf pickup season, it has been necessary to subcontract some of the leaf removal. We encourage residents to log on to our web page, www.sylvaniatownship.com - News, for schedule updates.

1. The most important suggestion is to separate leaves from grass clippings, brush, and other debris.
2. Place your leaves along the side of the street as close to the edge of the roadway
3. Place your leaves away from obstacles such as mailboxes, fire hydrants, landscaping timbers, and landscaping rocks. These obstacles become hidden within the leaf piles and can cause injury to the machinery and employees.
4. Prior to raking your leaves or scheduling your lawn service, log on to our web page and see the latest leaf pickup schedule.
5. Keep in mind our Free Drop Off location at 6505 W. Bancroft Rd., just east of McCord Rd

Click here to check for leaf pickup updates on the Township News page.