A few days ago I looked up from my research at the sound of machinery. Looking out, I was intrigued to watch the town’s public works men picking up leaves from the curb. Years ago they would have been burned in each yard, but air pollution concerns changed things. Our town, with its thousands of trees, collects them all, composts them at the dump, and uses them for mulch.
This was the first time I really studied the process. A couple of men used blowers to get stray leaves into the main pile. Then a vacuum tube sucked them into the truck. When I saw this tube bobbing and weaving I was reminded of an elephant’s trunk. It turns out it was being directed by a young man with a remote control device looking suspiciously like a video game joystick. While the job was getting done, I suspect he was imagining evil invaders, not mere leaves, being sucked up by his skillful hands!
Saved By Words 
I wonder if the ear coverings are to protect them from noise pollution, or if they are listening to music?
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I am quite sure it’s music!
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But maybe not our kind of music!
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We don’t have that here, we have to clear up our own leaves. Then they go into a brown wheelie bin (one of 3 bins we have to have) to be emptied into the recycling lorry to go to be composted. Then the local council sells the compost to wholesalers to help with their costs. And we have to pay £65 a year for the brown wheelie bin for the privilege. I leave the leaves that fall on the grass lawn. They are good fertiliser for next year’s grass.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Charlie chops ours all up for compost for the flower beds. People do have to get their leaves to the curb which does require some work. Others have incredibly loud blowers instead of rakes.
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Nice way to clear the falling leaves Betsy and use them as mulch eventually.😘
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It is one of the services I enjoy about our town.
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Being sucked up sounds like something out of a kid’s book.
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You are right. A horror story for sure!
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How interesting, Elizabeth. Out government does care at all about air pollution or any other kind of pollution either. You are fortunate.
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I think it might be our Puritan heritage—dislike of mess!
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Perhaps. It’s a good thing.
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Fine reflections on an excellent practice. We take our garden leaves to the dump where they are composted
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Thanks. Charlie does take bigger yard debris to our dump where they chip it and then use it. That is also free(or included in our taxes.)
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It must have been interesting to watch.
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