Mahwah Leaf Pick-Up Nearly Complete

A trip to Mahwah’s leaf compost facility shows a bustling process. So far, there are about 10 windrows of chopped leaf pick-up filling up the facility, all accumulated over the past six weeks.

After Hurricanes Irene and Sandy and the Oct. 2011 snowstorm saw leaf levels in the township rise over the past two years, DPW Director Keith Hallissey said this year’s leaf fall rate has mostly returned to normal.

On an average year, the DPW picks up between 12 and 15,000 cubic yards of leaves. Though Hallissey said he does not have the numbers crunched yet for this year, the pick-up is over two-thirds of the way done.

Each year, the DPW’s goal, Hallissey said, is to pick up leaves from every street three times.

“We are finishing up our second round now, and hoping to finish up most of the pick-up by Dec. 20,” Hallissey said.

“Some roads will have only gotten two pick-ups, but all of the leaves will be gone.”

The DPW is expecting to be out next week to “pick up the stragglers,” he said.

This week, expect to see leaf crews in Rio Vista, on Franklin Turnpike, in Scotch Hills, on roads east of Wyckoff Avenue, and in the Cragmere section of town.