By Bernie Kofoet, Public Works Superintendent

Articles for All Around Pennsauken are submitted approximately three weeks prior to the publication date. It is difficult to predict what the weather will be that far ahead. Heck, many times the weather people can’t get it right a few days in advance!

That being said, two things are certain. We know that leaves will fall. We also know that winter follows fall.

Leaf collection started at the end of October and will continue through the end of the year. Crews will be out six days a week collecting. Hopefully, there will not be any snow during that time. Snow falling on uncollected leaves present a real problem.

Clearing the snow from the roadway results in the leaves being pushed along with the snow. If the temperature remains below freezing after the snow fall, the leaves are frozen into large piles, which are difficult to remove.

When temperatures are below freezing, we cannot sweep the street following clearing the leaves. This scenario also presents a logistical challenge. Trucks are configured differently for the two different tasks. Plows are not on trucks for leaf collection. Salt spreading equipment also is not part of the leaf collection configuration.

Residents can help by bagging their leaves. I know it’s easier to rake or blow them to the curb to be collected by the Township. But consider the benefit of bagging them.

If you bag them, they are gone. If you put them in the street, winds may blow them back onto your property or your neighbor’s. Heavy rains may wash them over storm basin drains and potentially cause flooding.

Wet leaves in the street are slippery and present a driving hazard. Piles of leaves may look like fun for kids to play in, but that is dangerous if a driver doesn’t see them playing and drives through the pile. Parking a car with a hot exhaust over a leaf pile can cause a fire.

Waste Management collects leaves and other yard waste every Wednesday all year long. Remember, there is no limit to the number of bags or container of leaves you can put out. The only restriction is that they must weigh less than 50 pounds.

Not to rush us through the holidays, but Christmas trees are also collected as yard waste on Wednesdays.

The long range forecasts are predicting a cold wet winter. Hopefully the prediction is wrong. But if it does snow, Public Works will be out clearing streets. It is important to know that we make every attempt to clear streets from curb line to curb line.

This may take several passes down your street to accomplish. Please refrain from clearing your driveway apron before we have plowed. It is unfortunate and I know people get angry when they’ve cleared their driveway and we come down and plow it back in.

You can help us better clear your street by removing all vehicles from the road. We know this isn’t always possible. It is frustrating to come across a house with a driveway but not a single car parked in it. Yet there will be two, three, or even four cars parked in the street in front of the house.

If we didn’t plow curb to curb, any remaining snow when the next event happens would be a problem. It would result in a narrowing of the roadway when we plow that event. Imagine two or three significant snow events in close succession with little or no melting; you could end up with a one-lane road or even an impassable one.

In the event that a snow event causes a change in trash collection, the reverse 911 system will be used to notify residents. If you haven’t signed up to receive notifications, you can sign up by visiting the Merchantville Pennsauken Water Commission web site at MPWC.org. There is also a link on the Township web site: twp.pennsauken.nj.us.

Finally, this newspaper is distributed to every resident in Pennsauken. It is an important tool that is used to deliver valuable information to residents. At Public Works, we receive so many calls from folks asking about things that have been covered in this and other columns.

If you are reading this, I know it’s like the old saying: “preaching to the choir.” If a neighbor or a friend mentions that they don’t bother to read the paper for whatever reason, please encourage them to do so. Many questions can be answered by regularly reading AAP or by visiting the Township web site.

A Reminder About Trash Holidays

Per Waste Management’s contract with the Township of Pennsauken, there are only six holidays which change the trash and recycling collection schedule:

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

When a holiday falls on a Monday, collections are pushed forward one day. Monday’s trash collection is done on Tuesday, etc. If one of these holidays occurs later during the week, the schedule remains the same for the days preceding the holiday and the schedule is pushed forward one day for the remainder of the week. If any of these holidays fall on a weekend, the collection schedule does not change for the following week.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to take your trash and recyclables out one day later for the remainder of that week!

Talkin’ Trash

Thanksgiving Day Thursday, Nov. 27, is a trash holiday. Thursday’s trash and recyclables will be collected on Friday; Friday’s collection will take place on Saturday, beginning at 6 a.m. Monday and Tuesday trash and recyclable collection, as well as Wednesday’s yard waste and white goods collection will occur as usual.