Unidentified Speaker, a city announcer, said the City of Coeur d'Alene will begin its annual Leaf Fest neighborhood leaf pickup on Nov. 12, starting in the south end of the city and working northward through Dec. 1.

The announcement said crews expect to collect more than 2,000 tons of leaves, requiring about 800 truckloads, and that 100% of the collected leaves — cited as over 2,500,000 pounds — will be mulched and reused as ground cover rather than sent to a landfill. "The city conducts this leaf pickup program known as Leaf Fest to collect not only the leaves that fall into the street, but the ones that fall in your yard," the announcer said.

City officials framed the program as an environmental and waste-reduction measure. The speaker noted the pickup helps keep nutrient loads out of Lake Coeur d'Alene and reduces the volume of yard waste entering the city's landfill. "Not only is this a popular program, but it helps keep an otherwise damaging nutrient load out of the lake," the announcer said.

Residents were given preparation and safety instructions. The city asked residents to rake leaves at least 1 foot away from the curb, to move parked cars off streets during pickup, and to begin raking now to ensure collection. The announcement warned residents not to place bagged leaves in the street, to avoid mixing branches or garden trimmings with leaf piles, and noted crews will make only one pass through each neighborhood.

The city also cautioned drivers to allow extra space around leaf removal vehicles and said Leaf Fest trucks are exempt from covering their loads, so debris may blow from trucks. Street sweepers will follow the collection trucks to remove remaining leaves.

For questions or more information the announcement directed residents to cdaid.org/leafpickup or the Streets and Engineering Department at (208) 769-2235.

Crews are scheduled to begin in the south end on Nov. 12 and proceed northward until completion on Dec. 1.