Survey For Forum Members Living In Youngstown - Saturday, November 6

[Youngstownshrimp]

What seems to be the issue, the City picked up three pickup loads we placed on the curb Saturday.  Of course, I did not see anyone participate in the paper bag project, but most entitled have no interest in bagging leaves, this isn't anything new.

[joly1584]

The article in the Vindy said the city had 76,000 bags available.   What was their target number of participants?

If each participant took the maximum of ten, that means only 1,000 people participated. If each participant took 2 that is 5,000 households. 

[Mary_Krupa]

There are still three more Saturday pick-ups:  Nov 13, Nov 20 and Dec 4

They figured out that it was less confusing and just as cost effective, if not better, than scheduling for different neighborhoods on different dates (rotating schedule). This was tried last year and failed. This year's is a good method but does need a lot of advertising.

[joly1584]

I see two problems with this years program:

1) Lack of public awareness - this forum and the Vindy were the only places I heard about it.
2) It was too complex - to participate you had to go downtown to pick up special bags, leave your name and address, set the bags out on a special date.  If you wanted to use your own bags you had to call a phone number to leave your name and address and remember to set the bags out on a special date.

Maybe more pickup places for the bags, don't need to leave your address, pick up leaves in special bags on trash pick up day-tell the trash guys not to pick up the special bags.

People don't want bags of leaves setting around for weeks waiting to be picked up.  Our trees are just over half empty of leaves-Nov 6 is way too early for a final pick up for us-we use a mulching mower, so we wouldn't use the pick up service anyway.

It is a fine line between efficiency for government services and convenience for the public.

[jay]

If the goal of the Litter Office was to compost leaves collected in Youngstown, the designed program was a failure.  Our Forum survey proves that hardly anyone participated in the brown paper bag leaf recycling/composting program. Yes, Youngstown residents raked and bagged leaves, but most of those leaves were picked up by the regular trash service and buried in a landfill.

It's too bad the Youngstown councilmen won't corrected this flawed program.

[Mary_Krupa]

Councilman John R. Swierz told me that Youngstown used to have a vacuum but someone (s) complained about the streets being too slippery and dangerous from the leaves in the street and therefore, Youngstown got rid of this. The councilman is opposed to this method.

I don't see what the problem is. People don't rake up their leaves anyway and they are all over the streets. No one from the city seems concerned about me and my car slipping on these leaves in the roads of my neighborhood.

I know that the Litter Control department of Youngstown was considering the idea of a vacuum last year but after talking to city officials (see above), changed its mind.

[jay]

As of 3:30 p.m., no other house put paper leaf bags out for collection.

[cc4]

Only one on my block.

[joly1584]

There are no bags today, they were all picked up with the trash this past week.

The link to the Vindy says this year the bags will be taken to CBS Topsoil in Boardman.  Youngstown hopes to have it's own composting facility next year.

http://www4.vindy.com/content/local_regional/300055387600562.php

[Rick Rowlands]

Struthers sucks them up and takes them to Castlo.  Since Lowellville is a Castlo member, I would guess theirs goes there too.

[AllanY2525]

The trash transfer station here gives away free mulch... all you can carry

[Towntalk]

Compost - Mulch

[sfc_oliver]

I don't understand why the city is providing brown paper bags for leaf collection.

Where I live, we just pile them up at the curb, and a big vacuum truck comes
around and sucks them right off the street - no bags required.

That's what they do way out here in Lowellville. I do sometimes wonder though, what do they do with the leaves? Vacuum or bagged?

[joly1584]

I didn't count the bags, but I noticed several of my neighbors set their bags out yesterday for the regular trash collection. 
We use a mulching mower now.  When we raked we got 75 bags of leaves.

I don't understand why the city is providing brown paper bags for leaf collection.

Where I live, we just pile them up at the curb, and a big vacuum truck comes
around and sucks them right off the street - no bags required.

My experience since I moved here in 1992 is Youngstown,and the Mahoning Valley in general, is very slow to try new things.  This is Youngstown's first year at leaf pick up in bags when many places have gone from bags to vacuums.  I do admit some people are trying to change things but I still see a lot of resistance.

[AllanY2525]

I don't understand why the city is providing brown paper bags for leaf collection.

Where I live, we just pile them up at the curb, and a big vacuum truck comes
around and sucks them right off the street - no bags required.