Leaf collection cost Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge $1.2M in 2014
By the numbers: Cities disposed of 7,654 tonnes of leaves in 2014, equal in weight to 17 jumbo jets
Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge together spend $1.2 million on collecting leaves raked into the streets, even though homeowners could mulch the leaves into their lawns as fertilizer each fall for free.
The sum comes as leaf collection programs wrap up for another year and as the City of Waterloo is looking at either modifying or dumping its leaf program after overspending for five consecutive years.
By the numbers
The figures were obtained by CBC News through inquiries to the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and the region's waste management department about each community's loose leaf collection program.
They show that the City of Kitchener spent by far the most on leaf collection last year:
- Kitchener, $505,510.
- Cambridge: $484,000.
- Waterloo at $263,000.
The total adds up to more than $1.2 million dollars spent on carting away leaves from homes around the region.
The sheer bulk of the haul weighs in at 7,654 tonnes, according to the Regional Municipality of Waterloo's Waste Management Division, the agency that processes all of the leaves picked up by the three cities.
The weight is the equivalent of 4,373 mid-size cars, 637 city buses or 17 jumbo jets.
The Region of Waterloo recommends homeowners consider mulching loose leaves into their lawns instead of raking them to the curbside or bagging them for pick up by waste collection crews.
"Whenever possible we encourage residents to manage their own waste themselves," Region of Waterloo waste management division spokeswoman Cari Howard told CBC News.
"One of the easiest ways to manage leaves is to mulch them yourself and spread them around the lawn," she said. "It's free fertilizer."