Rob Drzwicki, Livonia’s director of government affairs and outreach, and a Department of Public Works representative, Tricia, outlined the city’s annual bulk leaf pickup program during a Livonia On Air broadcast.

The program begins Oct. 27 and runs as a six‑week effort in which crews make two pickups in each neighborhood section, Tricia said. The city notifies residents by mailed flyer about two weeks before a section’s scheduled week and posts red street signs 3 to 6 days before pickup.

The program uses a mix of equipment, Tricia said, including dump trucks with leaf‑vacuum “leaf pickers,” backhoes fitted with claw attachments and packer trucks that compress leaves to reduce trips. “We offer yearly our bulk leaf pickup program and it consists of basically 2 pickups for each section in the city for a … six‑week program,” she said.

Because the same vehicles are assigned for winter snow and salt operations, DPW staff said the city cannot guarantee a third pass if leaves fall late or if snow arrives. Tricia noted that an early or mid‑program snow event in past years required a temporary pause and that crews resumed collection when conditions allowed.

DPW gave several placement and material guidelines to help crews collect leaves efficiently and to avoid drainage or equipment problems. Residents are asked to rake leaves into long windrows slightly away from the curb so vacuums and claw arms can reach them and so catch basins remain clear. “Push those out,” Tricia said, to keep storm drains from becoming blocked and to make it easier for machinery to pick up material.

The bulk leaf program is not a substitute for regular yard‑waste collection. Tricia said twigs, branches, stones, Christmas trees and other hard materials can damage vacuum and packer equipment and should not be put in the leaf piles. Normal bagged yard waste and other items will continue to be collected by the city’s contractor, Priority Waste.

DPW staff also recommended mulching leaves where possible and urged neighbors to help one another with placement and drainage checks. Residents with questions about which section they are in or the pickup schedule were told to contact the Department of Public Works; details will also be posted on the city website and social media.

The broadcast concluded with a reminder that leaf pickup timing can vary with weather and tree leaf‑drop patterns, and that the city’s goal during the six‑week window is to complete two passes through each section.