Leaf pickup solution (again)

Nobody paid any attention to me when I wrote the perfect solution for Newark's leaf-pickup problem July 19, 2006. Neither will they this time, but here it is again ...

Leaves are a natural occurrence and once everyone perceives that, there will be no more leaf brouhaha in the city of Newark or anywhere else. The work and public expense associated with the annual gathering of leaves will be reduced because the city will not be required to go around and mop up after citizens and taxpayers will benefit.

Among the most recent major non-problems for which the city offered a new and better solution is the bagging of leaves in biodegradable paper sacks. This way city workers wouldn't be required to open the thousands of plastic bags traditionally used. They'd throw them on the compost pile.

Trouble with that idea is that some folks are already bitching about the cost and the work and already the city is starting to back-peddle and to consider alternatives to its alternative and exceptions for certain of the bitchers.

What needs to be done is to announce that people who own trees also own the leaves - for better or worse - to the bloody end. Meaning that folks can either leave the leaves on the ground and learn to see the beauty therein, or they can mulch them. Leaves are not a government responsibility, so tell people to quit raking them into the streets. Mulching is cheap and easy and it's a solution I've used for many years.