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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 18 ,2 02 1 | 8 FREE DELIVERY IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER. SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. NO PROMO CODE REQUIRED 65 UNIVERSITY AVE. E WATERLOO (519) 725-5252 We're doing it all wrong. As homeowners, we've developed an obsession with removing from our property every single leaf that falls from a tree. As cities, we've enabled this obsession by providing free leaf pickup from curb- sides. We can push, pull, or drag those leaves to the curb any which way we choose, and, on our desig- nated day, the heavy ma- chinery will be there to make the leaves disappear. It's sheer folly. David Hobson is a gar- dening columnist, author, and member of a local group of gardeners called Grand Gardeners. With de- cades of experience "watch- ing things grow," Hobson wonders why we ever be- gan tossing aside this pre- cious resource. "As a lot of serious gar- deners do, we use them (leaves) in the garden, we compost them, we spread them on flower beds, and they're garden gold," Hob- son insists. "They're just nutrients that can be re- turned to the soil." Lest you think your own property may have too many leaves, Hobson be- lieves there's no such thing. His goal is to collect 100 bags of leaves each year, which includes leaves from neighbouring properties, so that he can scatter them across his own gardens. No gardens? No prob- lem. Hobson says you can simply run your lawn mow- er over the leaves in the fall, and again in the spring. By that time, the leaves will have virtually vanished in- to the soil and you've got yourself some free fertiliz- er. "The leaves will keep the weeds down, they'll keep the moisture in, your plants will grow better and, by the end of summer the leaves will have vanished, just like they do in nature," Hobson explains. As Hobson points out, have you ever seen anyone raking the forest floor? The idea, when you stop to think about it, sounds absurd. By now, the idea of curb- side loose-leaf collection should seem equally ab- surd. As the climate changes and trees mature, trying to predict when the leaves will fall is a fool's game. Still, we make a best guess so that neighbourhoods can pre- pare for when their collec- tion will happen. Of course, a sign posted on the side of the street, asking that leaves only be raked to the curb on a spe- cific date, is an easily ig- nored request. In my neigh- bourhood, where collection is to begin Nov. 15, huge piles of leaves have been sit- ting curbside for weeks al- ready. The result is not only un- sightly, but also dangerous. Still, there the leaves sit, awaiting their eventual col- lection. And when collec- tion time arrives, you'd be forgiven for asking, "cli- mate emergency? What cli- mate emergency?" While our municipali- ties have each declared a climate emergency, they're content to continue send- ing out large (and some smaller) diesel-spewing machines -- dump trucks, front-end loaders, street sweepers -- to clean up the leaves that, environmental- ly, are better off being left where they fall. It defies logic. It's also costing us, re- gionwide, about $1.5-mil- lion annually. Surely, there are better uses for that kind of money. I hear the House of Friendship could use a hand right about now. Columnist Mike Far- well is a broadcaster, MC and advocate. Follow him on Twitter at @far- well_WR, or connect with him via Mike.Far- well@rci.rogers.com. CURBSIDE LEAF PICKUP SHOULD BE KICKED TO THE CURB "The leaves will keep the weeds down, they'll keep the moisture in, your plants will grow better and, by the end of summer the leaves will have vanished, just like they do in nature," says David Hobson, a gardening columnist, author, and member of a local group of gardeners called 'Grand Gardeners.' Metro Creative photo OPINION BY NOW, THE IDEA OF CURBSIDE LOOSE- LEAF COLLECTION SHOULD SEEM ABSURD, WRITES MIKE FARWELL MIKE FARWELL Column SCAN FOR MORE Scan this code to read more columns at the Waterloo Chronicle website.