Changing Seasons: How We're Managing Fallen Leaves

It’s that time of year when the oranges, reds and golds of autumn are creating a beautiful scene across the District.  With the beauty, also comes the drop of leaves along the berms, footpaths and gutters of tree-lined streets.

Street sweeping has begun in streets that have a high build-up of leaves in the roads and kerbs, and this will occasionally be supplemented by staff on the ground with blowers to remove the build-up of leaves on verges and footpaths at critical times.

Roading Manager Joanne McBride says leaf pickup happens after leaves ‘turn’, but sometimes weather events and strong winds can bring down a mass drop.

“Because of this, sweeping needs to be undertaken on an ‘as required’ basis. Contractors regularly check and assess tree-lined streets to help keep kerbs and roads clear,” says Joanne.

It’s important to note that extra sweeping during leaf fall is carried out on an as-needed basis. Following feedback from residents, streets will be inspected to determine whether sweeping is required and if so, those streets can be prioritised efficiently.

The following streets are known high leaf-fall streets and will be monitored for pick up during autumn:

Rangiora

  • East Belt (near Rangiora High School and parts of the southern end)
  • Queen Street
  • Park Street
  • Wales Street
  • Church Street
  • Ayers Street
  • George Street
  • West Belt
  • Percival Street
  • Ivory Street
  • Durham Street
  • Carmana Gardens
  • Goodwood Close
  • Golding Avenue
  • Seddon Street
  • Oakwood Drive
  • Ashley Street
  • Buckleys Road
  • Kingsbury Avenue
  • Kensington Ave
  • Windsor Court
  • Belmont Avenue

Kaiapoi

  • Raven Quay (both sides of Williams Street)
  • Sewell Street
  • Cass Street
  • Meadow Street
  • Isaac Wilson Road

Residents can help out by removing leaves from outside their homes and putting them in their compost, or green bin, and are encouraged to park vehicles off-street wherever possible during heavy leaf fall, so that the sweeper can access the leaves and do a more thorough job.

During autumn, it’s impossible to always maintain a leaf-free street as weather and wind often result in ongoing leaf fall. During windy conditions, leaves may build up again within hours of a clean. Streets will be monitored, and additional sweeping rounds will be done when needed.

Residents concerned about leaf build up can contact us in a number of ways: