leaf collection

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Leaf holdout (Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99)

Second Leaf Collection Pass Starts Today — Crews will begin their second (and final) vacuum leaf collection pass through Arlington’s neighborhoods today. Leaf collection is scheduled to wrap up on Dec. 20. [Arlington County]

Arlington, State Fund Innovation Initiative — Arlington County and the Virginia are jointly funding a $500,000 initiative that will “connect startups with national security agencies, aiming to both foster commercialization of federally-funded technology and open a new market for entrepreneurs.” It will be helmed by Jonathan Aberman, managing director of Amplifier Ventures. [Washington Business Journal]

Human Rights Award Winners Announced — Arlington County has announced its 2013 James B. Hunter Human Rights Award winners. Among them are the Hon. Leslie M. Alden, “a former Fairfax County Circuit judge who has spent her career devoted to gender rights;” Pastor Richard Cobb of Arlington’s Central United Methodist Church, who launched a program to serve meals to the homeless; Thomas Kelley, who “has dedicated his life to ensuring that schools provide equal access to children with disabilities;” and Margaret Patterson, who “has provided opportunities to abused children and their families.” [Arlington County]

Arlington ‘Villages’ To Launch in March — In March, Arlington will be debuting its “Neighborhood Villages” program for helping the elderly age in place. “The Arlington Neighborhood Villages will debut as a nonprofit corporation aimed at helping senior citizens “age in place” – as long as possible in their own homes – by creating neighborhood-based networks made up mostly of volunteers,” reports columnist Charlie Clark. [Falls Church News-Press]

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Video: Leaf Collection in Arlington County

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County’s leaf bag collection will start on Monday (Nov. 4), with vacuum leaf collection starting a week later.

A new video produced by the county (above) explains how the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services handles the logistics of leaf collection and how officials set the leaf collections schedule based on a scientific analysis of when leaves will begin falling.

Leaves collected in Arlington are taken to the county’s earth products recycling yard, then ground into mulch, stored and eventually distributed back to Arlington residents who want the mulch for their yards and gardens.

A vacuum leaf collection schedule has been posted on the Arlington County website.

Leaf Collection Bags Available, Collection Begins Next Month

By Katie Pyzyk

Leaf collection bags (photo via Arlington County website)Starting today, the county will provide free leaf bags for residents, in anticipation of the yearly leaf collection starting next month.

Leaf collection begins on Monday, November 4, and runs through Friday, January 10. Collections will take place on weekdays, including holidays except Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Leaf bags are collected on the next business day after your regular trash collection day. For example, if your trash is collected on Fridays, your leaf bags will be collected on Mondays. Residents are asked to report a missed or partial pickup by noon of the next business day. It can be reported online using the Missed Pickup form or by calling 703-228-6570.

Residents are encouraged to use any paper bags left over from the spring yard waste collection. Those needing new paper leaf bags can find them at most hardware stores. Free bags are also available beginning today (while supplies last) at the following locations:

  • Aurora Hills Center, 735 18th Street South, 703-228-5715
  • Courthouse Plaza Information Desk, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., 703-228-3000
  • Lee Center, 5722 Lee Highway, 703-228-0552
  • Long Branch Nature Center, 625 S. Carlin Springs Road, 703-228-6535
  • Lubber Run Center, 300 N. Park Drive, 703-228-4712
  • Madison Center, 3829 N. Stafford Street, 703-228-5310
  • Solid Waste Bureau, 4300 29th Street South, 703-228-6570
  • Thomas Jefferson Center, 3501 2nd Street South, 703-228-5920

Be sure to follow the guidelines below when preparing leaves for pickup:

  • Remove dirt, stones, litter and other debris from leaves
  • Place only leaves in biodegradable paper leaf bags (bags will be made into mulch with leaves). Do not use plastic bags
  • Close bags by folding top down
  • Place bags at the curb by 6:30 a.m., one day after your trash day

Arlington County collects about 50,000 cubic yards of leaves every year. Staff members develop the leaf collection schedule after analyzing historic data, tree types and density, weather forecasts, state forestry forecasts, and resident feedback.

Vacuum leaf collection begins Monday, November 11, and runs through Friday, December 20. Crews will canvass designated neighborhoods every day except Sundays and Thanksgiving.

Yellow and orange signs will be posted in neighborhoods three to seven days prior to the scheduled vacuum leaf collections. The full schedule can be found online or by calling 703-228-6565.

Residents should follow the guidelines below while preparing for vacuum leaf collection:

  • Rake leaves to curb
  • Do not block roadways with leaves more than seven (7) days in advance of your scheduled vacuum leaf collection pass as it is un-neighborly, dangerous, blocks traffic, limits street parking, and potentially can cause a fire hazard
  • Pile leaves away from storm drains and water meter covers, low wires, and parked cars
  • Remove stones, litter, branches or other debris to prevent equipment damage and worker injuries
  • Don’t place leaves in plastic bags or county trash carts
  • Never park your car on leaf piles, it’s a fire hazard

Vacuum Leaf Collection Begins Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County’s vacuum leaf collection service will begin one week from today.

The vacuum trucks will be out from Monday, Nov. 12 until Friday, Dec. 21. The trucks will operate Monday through Saturday, except for Thanksgiving, on a set neighborhood schedule. To prepare for the vacuum collection, residents are asked to rake leaves to the curb but away from storm drains, and to remove stones, litter and other debris from the piles.

Biodegradable leaf bag collection started last Monday (Oct. 29) and will run on weekdays (except Christmas and New Year’s Day) through Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Collection takes place on the next business day after your regular trash collection day. Free leaf bags can be picked up at a number of locations around the county, as listed on Arlington’s residential leaf collection web site.

More information on leaf collection can be found in the county-produced video, above.

County Concludes Vacuum Leaf Collection

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County has concluded its annual vacuum leaf collection service.

Though the vacuum trucks have stopped running, Arlington will continue its biodegradable leaf bag collection service — which takes place on the next business day after your normal trash collection day — through Jan. 13.

The county is asking residents to fill out a survey to provide feedback about this year’s vacuum leaf collection.

Arlington County Leaf Collection Update

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County’s incredibly detail-oriented vacuum leaf collection effort (see the county-produced video, above) is slightly behind schedule due to rainy weather.

Arlington is now planning to begin its first leaf collection pass in ‘Zone 4’ neighborhoods on Friday, while Zone 5 (out of five) will have to wait until next Wednesday. Zone 3 collections are still underway, the Arlington Department of Environmental Services said via Twitter this morning.

A second and final round of vacuum leaf collection will take place in December.

Leaf bag collections are still proceeding as normal, on the day after residents’ normal trash collection.

Arlington Leaf Collection to Begin Oct. 31

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is preparing for its annual autumn leaf collection, a surprisingly Herculean effort that requires nearly 100 workers, 30 leaf-collecting vehicles and pieces of equipment, and months of planning.

Leaf collection will get underway on Oct. 31. By the time leaf collection season is over, the county estimates it will have collected 45,000 cubic yards of leaves — enough to cover the basketball court at Verizon Center with an 18-story leaf pile. Leaves collected by the county will be ground into mulch and made available to residents. (Dry leaf mulch can protect plants in the winter.)

The county will start collecting leaf bags on Monday, Oct. 31 and won’t stop until Jan. 13. The curbside collection will take place on the next business day after an area’s normal trash collection day. The county will only accept leaves in biodegradable bags, however.

Biodegradable bags are currently being distributed, free of charge, at the Lubber Run Center (300 N. Park Drive), Madison Center (3829 N. Stafford Street), Lee Center (5722 Lee Highway), Thomas Jefferson Center (3501 2nd Street S.), Aurora Hills Center (735 18th Street S.), Long Branch Nature Center (625 S. Carlin Springs Road), the Solid Waste Bureau (4300 29th Street S.) and the Courthouse Plaza Info Desk (2100 Clarendon Blvd).

On Nov. 14, Arlington will begin its vacuum leaf collection. Vacuum trucks will collect leaves left on the side of county streets based on a yet-to-be-announced schedule. Crews will make two passes through each county neighborhood in November and December.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Uncompensated Care Costs Local Hospitals $102 Million — While discussing health care on a local TV interview show earlier this week, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) cited a figure that seemed unbelievable. Moran said that in our congressional district alone, hospitals spend more than $100 million per year paying for those who don’t have insurance or can’t pay the bills. That figure appears to be accurate, says TBD’s Facts Machine.

Lawmakers Outline Priorities — Arlington’s state lawmakers discussed their priorities for the 2011 legislative session earlier this week. Proposals include eliminating the sales tax on food and replacing it with a higher income tax for the wealthy, increasing the state’s low cigarette tax and setting more stringent requirements on petition drives. More from the Sun Gazette.

Leaf Bag Collection Enters Final Week — If you still have bags of leaves lying around, now is the time to get rid of them. Arlington County’s final leaf bag collection will begin Monday. See the collection schedule here.

Non-Stop Bhangra at Artisphere — Organizers describe it as a non-stop party that feels like a scene from a Bollywood movie. San Francisco-based Non-Stop Bhangra will be rocking the house at Artisphere’s Saturday Night Dance Party this weekend. The party starts at 11:01 p.m. and features dance lessons, dance performances, live music sets and “DJs spinning an eclectic mix of bhangra, hip hop, reggae and electronica.” More from Arlington Arts.

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Man Accused of Assaulting Leaf Truck Driver

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:00 p.m.) A homeowner in the Woodmont neighborhood has been charged with assaulting a county leaf truck driver.

Police say Kevin Love, 46, was upset that the leaf truck vacuum didn’t pick up all the leaves on his street Saturday morning. Some sort of verbal dispute ensued, according to police spokesperson Det. Crystal Nosal. Love is then alleged to have punched the driver.

He was subsequently charged with assault and battery and released on a summons.

In an email to ARLnow.com, however, Love says the assault allegations are false.

“I was not arrested,” he said. “I never punched or touched this county employee, ever. There was a verbal dispute after this employee made a discriminatory remark directed at me, but that was the extent of it.”

“I now have to go to court over a out and out lie,” added Love, a local real estate agent. “This has been a very humiliating and damaging attack on my character.”

The county’s Department of Environmental Services said the leaf collection employee reported the incident to a supervisor. The situation is being handled as a “personnel matter,” according to a spokesperson.

How might the situation have been handled better? The county has a leaf collection hotline that residents can call to request a second pass. The phone number is 703-228-6565.

See the updated county leaf collection schedule here.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

December Leaf Collection Schedule Released — The county’s second round of vacuum leaf collection through neighborhoods is now scheduled to begin on Dec. 4 and end on Dec. 24. More from the Dept. of Environmental Services.

Holiday Events Aplenty — The Sun Gazette has a list of 15 holiday-related events around Arlington in December.

Arlington Company Gets Big-Time Funding — OPower, a start-up energy services company based in Courthouse, has just received a $50 million investment by two venture capital firms. The company, which hosted a speech by President Obama in March, hopes to ramp up its research and development effort and hire 50 more people. More from Tech Crunch.

Fire Response at Spider Kelly’s — The fire department responded to Spider Kelly’s in Clarendon late last night for a report of a fire. Firefighters instead found light smoke and traced it back to a malfunctioning heating unit. No word yet on whether this will affect the popular night spot’s ability to open today.

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