I have been seeing things about having to bag leaves this year and in future years as well. The cost of this for homeowners will be so much more than it would be to just have a truck go through and get all of the leaves. The bags cost $2.65 to $2.70 per 30 gallon bag. On average, it would be about 25 bags per lawn, making $66.25 per lawn. That is a lot of money across all of Oak Park with more than 20,000 households. It also takes a lot more time and labor to bag the leaves rather than just putting them in a pile in the street. If anyone hires landscapers for their leaves, then they would probably charge extra because of the labor of bagging the leaves.
I know that this was passed out of concern for the environment, but it will end up hurting more than helping because getting the bags requires driving either to the store and back or to their house and back by a big delivery truck.
Overall, I think the decision to switch over to bagging leaves is a bad decision for the community.
Ian Osta, Boy Scout Troop 16