Kildare residents told to do more to get rid of falling leaves

Residents have been told to do more to help ease problems caused by falling leaves.

A call for a list of dates on which Kildare County Council's road sweeper would visit housing estates in the Leixlip/Celbridge/Ardclough area was made by Cllr David Trost who said the situation is "becoming chaotic” in some estates.

He said information about than the road sweeper would visit “will really assist the residents

associations and individuals to know when to clear leaves from green areas and paths

and to advise people not to park in areas which are scheduled to be cleaned.”

He said, at a Celbridge Leixlip Municipal District, meeting the sweeper can be blocked because of where cars are parked and in some estates there are no driveways.

He said residents are willing to help, but they need to know when the leaves will be collected. 

Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Caldwell said too many trees need to be pruned back and residents should put the leaves in bags and deploying the sweeper “is a waste of time when cas are parked everywhere.”

Kildare County Council says it prioritises areas with high footfall such as train stations and schools but dealing with the problem is not least because of the quantity of leaves and the need to make many visits as more leaves fall.

Residents were advised against blowing leaves on to public roads because this is not environmentally friendly.

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KCC said it’s not possible to provide a schedule for the clearing of leaves, which is scheduled as part of the outdoor crews’ tasks and “the work locations are reactive, and locations are subject to change depending on volumes of leaves present and other possible calls for resources.”

It added that on main thoroughfares, where there are heavy footfalls, leaves are cleared periodically off footpaths to be removed using a road sweeper. 

Within housing estates, road surfaces are swept to remove leaves from kerb edges and drainage channels but footpaths are not swept.

Cllr Rupert Heather said an environmentally sustainable solution is needed for this persistent problem and “residents need to be involved.”