PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) is warning people who qualify for Leaf Day service in Portland to avoid parking on the street when PBOT trucks are scheduled to sweep leaves.
Leaf Day service began in Portland on Saturday.
While the big pile of leaves along the roads may look like fun to children and dogs, they represent two months of hard work for PBOT crews.
From now until the end of December, crews will be clearing leaves along bike lanes and Portland’s major thoroughfares.
“We are not able to provide street sweeping on residential streets citywide anymore with budget cuts,” said Dylan Rivera, a spokesperson for the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
Rivera said all residents who qualify for leaf service should add their specified Leaf Day date to their calendar and pay attention to the notices about parking.
“We provide notice in advance,“ Rivera said, referring to street parking restrictions. “We’ve sent more than 30,000 fliers in the mail to addresses throughout the leaf districts.”
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Road crews pull out their large equipment to pick up thousands of pounds of leaves each year on major streets and bike paths. Crews encourage people in those areas to help pile leaves into piles along the street to help prevent clogged street drains or slick surfaces.
“It’s best to keep those leaf piles about one foot from the curb, and that will help equipment get the cleanest sweep possible,” Rivera said.
As for the leaves, they end up back in many people’s yards and gardens. Rivera said the leaves are made into certified compost which will be available at Sunderland Yard in Northeast Portland.
“It’s about as Portland as it gets,” Rivera said.
Other than Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, PBOT Leaf Day service crews will be working through December.
Residents in specified leaf districts are encouraged to sign up for online notifications.