Howland leaf-pickup deal will save $9,000

HOWLAND -- Trustees approved payment of $6,000 to the city of Warren for grinding of leaves this fall -- a move that township trustees say will save the township $9,000 this year.
Township Administrator Darlene St. George said she checked into having the city take the leaves from township collections, and found that the city could recycle them into mulch. She said the mulch will also be available to residents sometime in the spring.
Last year, the township paid $59,000 to have the leaves removed from township properties and disposed of, St. George said. Of that $59,000, $13,000 was for disposal of the leaves.
This year, the township will pay the hauler $44,000 and the city $6,000, saving $9,000 over last year, she explained.
The only down side to this year's leaf collection, St. George said, is that township residents will have to buy biodegradable paper or plastic bags for the leaves, which is making some residents unhappy, St. George said. The leaf pickup begins this week.