City asks Topeka residents to avoid putting leaves, twigs, limbs in street

Topeka’s city government asked in a news release this week that residents avoid putting leaves, twigs or limbs in the street.

While Topeka city ordinance enables the city government to take action against people who do that, the city would rather see residents comply voluntarily, said Jaci Vogel, the city’s deputy director of public works operations.

“It is a big job to maintain streets without piles of leaves being added to our workload,” she said in the release. “Help us help you and your neighborhood be clean and safe.”

Leaves falling from trees each autumn become a major source of litter, said the release issued Tuesday by Molly Hadfield, the city’s media relations coordinator.

She said twigs and larger limbs can damage the equipment the city uses to sweep Topeka’s streets, while residents putting items in the street can force a two-sweeper crew to have to make five or six passes to finish sweeping an area it normally might complete in one or two passes.

“The fewer limbs and twigs in the street, the less chance of a breakdown, which would only slow the leaf removal process,” Hadfield added.

She said rain or melting snow can wash leaves into stormwater inlets, which can create clogs in storm drains and pollute the water supply.