When leaves cover sidewalks and roads in the fall, the question arises: Who has to remove the leaves? Sweeping them up is not enough. There are also important rules for disposing of leaves in Saxony. The most important information:
Who is responsible for removing autumn leaves?
The local authorities are responsible for leaves on the roads. Residents must clear the sidewalks of leaves.
How many people are involved and what equipment is used?
Pavements and roadways are mostly cleared of leaves with the help of leaf blowers and sweepers, sometimes with manual assistance. According to a press spokesperson, around 80 employees are involved in leaf removal in Dresden.
Where is it regulated who has to clean which areas?
Who is responsible for which areas is precisely defined in the street cleaning statutes of the cities. Some sidewalks are cleaned by the municipal street cleaning service, for which residents have to pay a fee. For others, residents are responsible themselves. In Chemnitz, for example, the respective residents are responsible for 90 percent of the sidewalks, as the city announced on request.
What rules apply to residents?
Residents must also take care of the disposal of leaves. As a homeowner, it is not permitted to sweep leaves from your own property onto the street or sidewalk. The city of Leipzig points out that this can even lead to a fine. It does not matter where the leaves come from. Leaves from municipal trees may not be swept onto the street either.
The cities say that this is repeatedly disregarded. This is a nuisance and possibly even a danger to road users. The additional volume of leaves also delays the work of the road sweepers.
How to dispose of leaves
Leaves from the road have a high pollutant content and should therefore be disposed of as residual waste, according to the cities. Leaves from sidewalks, green spaces and your own garden can be safely composted or disposed of in the organic waste garbage can.
Where do the cities dispose of leaves?
Leaves from the street are incinerated, everything that is collected on the sidewalks or disposed of privately is composted. The compost can then be used as fertilizer, according to the city of Leipzig. Large quantities are involved in leaf disposal. According to the city, around 1,500 tons of leaves have to be disposed of in Dresden alone, depending on the weather.
Are there any offers from the cities for leaf disposal in autumn?
Between September 15 and December 15, the city of Chemnitz offers a seasonal 60-liter leaf bag for three euros. This is collected on the day the organic waste garbage can is emptied. According to the city of Leipzig, up to one cubic meter of leaves can be disposed of free of charge at recycling centers for composting from October to December.
In Dresden, residents can bring leaves from street trees to the municipal recycling centers and green waste collection points free of charge. Leaves that accumulate on the property or in the garden can be handed in for a fee, the city announced. Alternatively, homeowners and residents can simply dispose of the leaves in the compost heap in their own garden or in the organic waste garbage can.
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