Big Leaf-Fall Weekend

On Saturday it was windy as all get out. I decided that was the perfect time to rake leaves.

"But Marc," you might say, "no one else is doing that. It's too windy! Why would you choose that moment to move leaves around?"

Well, who cares what everyone else is doing? Following the crowd isn't the way I roll (unless, of course, everyone is heading to see a show, in which case I fall into line like everyone else).

In any case, the wind was acting like a giant leafblower, which helped corral the leaves in big drifts and assisted me in creating a giant pile of leaves for the City of Sacramento to collect with their giant claw on Monday. True, the giant pile deflated a bit from the howling winds stripping leaves away, and someone else farther down the street no doubt faced a bigger leaf impact as a result, but like I say, causing other people problems is just part of the fun!

Not all is bright and fair in our 'City of Trees'. The City of Sacramento wants to substitute green waste containers - 90 gallon cans - similar to the 'toters' they use in Woodland, for Sacramento's current street disposal system for collecting green waste.

The Sacramento Bee, among other city worthies, urges that The Claw be abandoned, or at least diminished through the use of green waste containers:

Sacramento can take small but important steps to shore up its environmental reputation tonight with two ordinances before the City Council.

The first would allow voters to repeal a 1977 city charter amendment, "Measure A," that blocks the city from requiring container bins for green waste. That ordinance was passed when composting wasn't a household word and when residents clung to an age-old practice of raking leaves into streets, for the city to scoop up.

Much has changed since then. The city now composts all the yard waste it collects, and since 2004 it has urged residents in parts of the city to voluntarily use green waste containers.

Thousands have responded. Some 85,000 households now have the green bins, and another 30,000 will be offered bins by mid-2010.

So far, use of the green containers has been concentrated mostly in areas north of the American River. In the central city, the city continues to be prowled by The Claw – tractors fitted with triangular jaws that scoop up the green waste residents pile into the streets.

Some Sacramentans consider The Claw to be a sacred part of their heritage. But more and more residents see it as an artifact of a bygone era. The Claw trucks run on diesel, adding pollution to the air. Switching to green containers would require fewer trucks, saving the city money.

Piling leaves in the streets, as we know now, causes an array of hazards. It can endanger bicyclists and clog the city's aging storm drains. It also interferes with chemical agents the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District uses to battle mosquitoes in the storm drains, according to district officials.

Repealing the 1977 ordinance wouldn't directly lead to the end of The Claw and the start of green bins everywhere. The city would need to keep some tractors around to pick up tree branches and other material after big storms.

But there's no reason the city needs The Claw to run a weekly circuit. Mandating green waste bins could go a long way toward saving the city money while reducing its environmental footprint.

I don't know how that is going to work in the autumn, however, when every tree dumps tons of leaves and branches. I mean, this weekend, I moved about seven toters worth of leaves into the street (two toters worth which promptly headed downwind with the westerly gusts). One toter would simply be overwhelmed by the volume! And I don't even live in an area notable for its sizes of trees. Some of the older neighborhoods (e.g., the Fab 40) have bigger trees and many, many, many more leaves, and branches, and logs to dispose of!

No, we need to retain the Claw system. The rate that Sacramento has been charging for this service has been accelerating more than the rate of inflation anyway, so I don't know why is anyone complaining about the cost. We've already paid for this service!

Back in the day, when I walked my dog Sparky late at night, the green waste piles in the street provided a surreptitious and socially-acceptable way to dispose of dog droppings. Otherwise, all that dog stuff ends up in the garbage cans, where it bakes on warm summer days. In addition, garbage-pickers are likely to fling it back onto the street in an uncontrolled manner. Of course, I don't know if the green waste end-user approved of my use of the street piles for this purpose, but I definitely needed the service, as do many others today who own and walk dogs.

Sacramento's venerable green waste street-disposal system makes me feel like I am getting something worthwhile for my utility bill! Contrary to what the Sacramento Bee says, it is not antiquated to support what works best in a city filthy with trees. Abandon The Claw, and peasants like me will revolt! Do not repeal, but support "Measure A"!