Government, Local News
Should Linn County pick up leaves in burn ban buffer?
Posted on Nov 02, 2009 by Adam Belz.
If you can’t burn it, what do you do with it?
Leaf pickup, long an issue confined to city limits in Linn County, is now under discussion at Linn County.
The Board of Supervisors talked Monday about buying a leaf vacuum truck to be used in a quarter-mile buffer zone just outside Cedar Rapids, Marion and Hiawatha city limits, where leaf burning has been forbidden since 2008.
While the truck is far from a reality, the larger question is how county residents just outside city limits will get rid of their leaves.
“We’ve had a lot of requests for options,” Supervisor Jim Houser said. “Does this board want to be in the business of leaf pickup?”
Supervisor Brent Oleson said 80 to 90 percent of Robins is angry about the burn ban.
“The county said ‘You can’t do it this way, good luck,’” Supervisor Brent Oleson said. “The prior board of supervisors wanted this in place, and this is the result of this.”
County staff are going to send residents information on what they can do to get rid of their leaves. A vacuum leaf truck is unlikely, for now.
“Definitely we’re not taking any action on purchasing a leaf truck,” Supervisor Ben Rogers said. “There are more cost-effective options than a $130,000 piece of equipment.”
Burning yard waste within a quarter-mile of any metro city’s limits pumps harmful levels of particulate matter into the air in or near densely populated areas, health officials say. Particulate matter, which is small pieces of dust, can penetrate lungs and arteries.
Major industries in Linn County must spend tens of millions of dollars filtering their smokestacks in order to limit particulate emissions.
Campfires are exempt from the burn ban, as is land zoned for agriculture and a few other uses, because agricultural properties are often large enough that densely populated areas aren’t affected.
thumbsupracing
03. Nov, 2009
How about renting them from the city or hiring the city to vacuum those areas. Kind of like a mini-practice run of what co-location would be like…getting along and sharing resources…
lobosolo
03. Nov, 2009
i think the vacuum trucks and everything associated with them is less "green" then just naturally burning them.
WWJD1
03. Nov, 2009
Mulch the leaves with the lawn mower and use the mulch around trees, in the garden, around bushes etc.; it helps increase and maintain the moisture to the vegetation and provides nitrogen as the leaves decompose.
Ann_Onamouse
03. Nov, 2009
That is exactly what I do.
Feed the soil, not the plant.
cloudburst
03. Nov, 2009
With a burn ban there is no good financial solution.
The health departments legal concerns of burning plastics and toxins have been bundled. The leaf smoke substance produced is mostly white steam with small organic leaf products.
Burning can produce a particle small enough to enter the lungs and at high levels if you are attending the burn pile . A box of 3M N95 respirators, their cheap!
Burning was the solution! I suggest a window of opertunity of two or three weeks late fall when most people are indoors to open a leaf burn. Free permits to those premoting a block burn concept, respecting those wishing to close windows and wanting the isolation.
Also a free composting location should be set aside for each township limiting transport cost to city ot home owner.
Spritely
03. Nov, 2009
For me, mulching is out of the question. My yard is already full of leaf mulch. I have 50 trees that drop leaves, as well as several pines that drop needles. Cedar Rapids has stated it cost about $3 per household to pick up leaves, which I would gladly pay. I agree with Cloudburst that burning was the solution. I have talked to several Supervisors about this. Jim Houser, Lu Barron and Ben Rogers seem willing to try to find a solution. Brent Oleson could care less, which will be remembered next election. NOW is the time to contact the Supervisors if you live in the County or Robins or have been affected by this. Look at http://www.linncounty.org to find their email address'.
Ann_Onamouse
03. Nov, 2009
How about composting? I would love to have that amount of leaves, as I garden totally organically…Do you have a spot to just pile them up?
(granted it will be a large pile)
Robins2009
03. Nov, 2009
We save sticks to burn for a recreational fire and mulch our leaves, just leaving them lay on the grass. We several large trees and have done this for 10 years. It is easier than burning or dragging to the curb to be picked up, as in Cedar Rapids.
The county as well as the city should promote mulching the leaves and leaving them lay on the grass. By spring they are gone, must like in the parks ab schools where no one rakes or picks up the leaves.
By the way the grass looks in parks and schools, the grass hasn't died from this yet.
Robins2009
03. Nov, 2009
Maybe start posting "Free Leaves for Composting" on Freecycle – you pickup!
Ann_Onamouse
03. Nov, 2009
That may work…worth a shot.
davesc
03. Nov, 2009
Poor babies. In Marion, we've never had leaf vacuuming or burning available. We have to bag 'em.
Remind me again why my Marion property taxes are higher than Cedar Rapids??
WWJD1
03. Nov, 2009
If we get enough people composting leaves and get enough compost we can start beefing up the dikes around the Cedar River for the next flood, because the city certainly isn't doing it. Of course the compost would have to be tamped down and mixed with rock and other fines.
CR2ICnBack
03. Nov, 2009
I am all for a 2-3 period of time where those of us just outside the city limits could burn our leaves and all of those sticks that fall from the trees in the fall. Narrow it down to specific dates, at least consider the option. I have neighbors that, although there is a ban, continue to burn out of spite. I won't break the rules.