Town of Black Mountain addresses lagging leaf collection service

Pilot program extended beyond end of the month

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 19, 2024

The Town of Black Mountain announced Jan. 18 that a pilot program offering bagless leaf collection service will be extended indefinitely. Photo by Fred McCormick

A pilot program originally scheduled to run from Oct. 1, 2023 through Jan. 31, 2024 has been extended in effort to address concerns, Black Mountain Town Manager Josh Harrold announced. 

The leaf collection service, which allows residents to place 4 cubic yards of brush each week for pick-up, will continue until completed. 

“We understand concerns some residents have expressed about the pace of our leaf pick-up services. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or challenges this may have caused,” a Jan. 18 press release from the town stated. “We want to assure our community that we are actively working to address this issue.”

The town launched a new leaf collection service designed to enhance convenience for residents and reduce the usage of plastic bags, Harrold said in a Jan. 18 interview. The initiative allowed residents to place piles of leaves and small debris, approximately 6 feet long and 4 feet wide, by the curb to be collected by Shelton’s Lawncare and Landscaping. 

The town budgeted $50,000 for the service, according to the town manager. 

“We figured more people would use this than they have in the past when leaves were required to be in bags, and we had a lot more people utilize this service,” he said. “The company we are using does not have the capacity to collect leaves as quickly as people would like.”

The goal, he added, was to provide a beneficial service to customers while evaluating the effectiveness of the service. 

“We planned to analyze this service critically to determine if it was something we wanted to offer permanently,” Harrold said. “At this point, I can say we will have to make changes to this in the future.”

While leaf collection was originally scheduled to end on the last day of January, the town extended the program indefinitely to address concerns from citizens.

“We will keep providing this service until all of the leaves are collected,” Harrold said.

Residents are encouraged to contact the Town of Black Mountain Sanitation Department with specific concerns or questions related to leaf pick-up, while the contractor is expected to continue making daily rounds.

Those who utilize the service are asked to avoid mixing limbs or sticks into piles of leaves to avoid damaging the equipment used for collection. Plastic bags are prohibited, while residents may use brown compostable yard waste bags or containers to store leaves for pick-up.