Flint, Michigan – Fall in Flint offers more than just cool weather and colorful trees. It also means the start of the city’s annual “Bag It!” initiative, which has been around for a long time and is focused on keeping neighborhoods, roadways, and waterways clean before winter sets in.
The program has been encouraging people to take care of their surroundings for more than ten years. Residents help Flint’s larger environmental goals by bagging leaves, picking up trash, and throwing away yard waste in the right way. This keeps drains from getting clogged, lowers street flooding, and helps Flint’s larger environmental goals. The program also helps make compost, which turns seasonal trash into nutrient-rich material that helps gardens and green spaces throughout the community.
Residents can participate easily. The city is telling everyone to put their leaves in bags and put them out with their regular trash and recycling on the days they usually pick them up. The last pickup will be before the latter week of November, so it’s important to get ready early. If you need more leaf bags, you can get them at Flint City Hall’s Information Desk or from your local Neighborhood Safety Officer.
Starting on Monday, November 10, city street maintenance teams will work together to clean up leaves by sweeping through communities to pick up any trash that is still there. Donald Thompson, the Transportation Director, highlighted how important it is to keep the roads clean during this time.
“It’s important to keep the streets clear of vehicles while the street leaf clean up is being provided,” he said. “This cleanup effort is the first step in preparing our city for the winter weather and plowing season.”
City authorities are also instructing people not to rake or blow leaves onto the roadway or storm drains. These systems are connected directly to creeks and rivers, so yard garbage can block the flow, flood the streets, and hurt aquatic environments.
“Raking leaves into the street can clog our catch basins and cause dangerous street flooding,” said Jiggy Mitchell, Sewer System Maintenance Supervisor. “Those who rake leaves into the street are at risk of receiving a citation.”
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City authorities say that individuals who want to be more environmentally friendly might mulch leaves into their lawns to provide a natural fertilizer or establish compost piles. Both of these things help improve the soil and cut down on trash.
The “Bag It!” program continues to thrive thanks to partnerships among the City of Flint, Priority Waste, the Genesee Conservation District, Keep Genesee County Beautiful, and the Flint River Watershed Coalition. Together, these groups are helping keep Flint clean, green, and well-prepared for the colder months ahead.
Residents seeking more information or clarification about yard waste pickup can call (810) 410-1134.