While the Department of Public Works & Environmental Services has had problems managing this service it’s noteworthy that Arlington County, the Town of Vienna, Fairfax City, the City of Falls Church and City of Alexandria all provide this service, and none are proposing to end it. Among many other jurisdictions offering vacuum leaf service are Richmond, Petersburg, Winchester, Williamsburg, and Fredericksburg. 

·       DPWES cited examples of their failure to provide service on a timely basis and then suggested those as reasons to simply end the program instead of correcting the management and operation of it. 

·    Composting leaves while manageable for properties with less tree canopy is not a viable option for many households with mature and massive tree canopy generating too many leaves to wholly compost on-site. 

·       Ending, as we refer to it --a Centralized Composting program-   shifts the burden of reducing greenhouse gas emissions on the backs of us, your residents who will be forced to bring in myriad private contractors whose trucks will block traffic, come on alternate days, and pollute the atmosphere more than does the targeted, centralized system provided for the last 60 years. This flies in the face of Fairfax County’s adopted sustainability polices to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions as leaf recycling appears to be one of the few programs to already meet the CECAP (Community Wide Energy & Climate Action Plan) implementation plan for “zero waste by 2040.” 

·       Moreover, the Environmental Quality Advisory Committee in their 2021 report advised “even more consistency in collection services across the County could reduce air pollutant emissions and reduce some traffic by allowing for a single collector to service a specific area, whereas proposals to eliminate county leaf recycling and shift it to private contractors contradicts this. 

·       Leaves left uncollected elevate threats to our storm drains and waterways, exacerbating increasing flooding due to dramatic rainfall and El Nino climate impacts. Numerous studies have shown that leaf-fall into water bodies is natural, yet excessive leaf matter increases nutrient loading which threatens fish, aquatic life, encouraging weed and algae growth and impairing swimming, boating, and fishing.  Remember storm drains connect streets to creeks. Lake Accotink comes to mind here.

·       Our mature trees are our ‘climate heros’ deserving of protection and value for their ability to both scrub the atmosphere of dangerous carbon emissions and absorb storm water to prevent flooding.  County services for leaf collection should reflect the environmental value which trees bring to our well-being, health and safety – let alone their aesthetic significance. 

So, in closing we respectfully suggest that this nearly 60-year commitment of Fairfax County’s to provide centralized composting be reformed, not ended.  

Should taxpayers in the districts being served need to pay more for this valued service then that is a conversation worth having.  

Another component of the reform of this County service may be to provide two seasonal pickups of leaves, like Arlington County does, not three as current policy states. We’ve also found that Arlington County’s cost per customer is significantly lower than ours, as they use trucks with more manpower efficiency, and use forestry data to help determine best times to initiate pickup, also helping keep streets and storm water inlets free of leaves. 

A DPWES effort to educate residents in best practices for mulching and composting some of their leaf litter on residential properties could be mutually beneficial and will reduce what is raked to the curb for County collection. 

In your own words, Chairman McKay “the County prides itself on providing outstanding services and this program, for a variety of reasons, has come up short on that goal the past few years. It is important to be transparent and work with the community on what makes the most sense for them and the county moving forward.” And I submit this centralized composting program is just that --a sensible and environmentally sound program benefitting residents and addressing County goals for environmental protection and stewardship. 

Let’s have that conversation and work together to reform and improve this valued service. 

The Task Force to Keep Vacuum Leaf Collection - representing residents in all jurisdictions where the valued and nearly 60-year service is in danger of being eliminated in the 2025 County budget. 

SIGN THIS PETITION if you wish this service to be saved. 

Many thanks.

Kathleen Brown & Task Force to Keep the Vacuum Leaf Collection.