Perry residents have one last chance this year to take advantage of the city’s free collection of yard waste. Final collections will occur Wednesday, Dec. 4 on all streets south of Willis Avenue and Wednesday, Dec. 11 on all streets north of Willis Avenue.
Perry Public Works Director Jack Butler said city crews collected more than 700 bags of yard waste Oct. 28 and more than 600 bags Oct. 29.
The open burning of yard waste was permitted Nov. 1-24, and the perennial question of whether to continue to allow burning was raised at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Perry City Council by council member Dean Berkland.
“I think for next year we should consider what a lot of other cities are doing in banning leaf burning altogether,” Berkland said. “It’s causing a lot of problems with people’s health. Asthma people can’t go outside. I know it’s an absolute stench when it’s out there.”
Council member Vicki Klein said burning leaves stink when damp.
“I think that’s been the problem this year, wet leaves,” Klein said. “In our neighborhood, it’s just been terrible.”
Perry Mayor John Andorf offered an even-handed remark.
“I know there’s concerns and thoughts on both sides,” Andorf said.
Council member Chuck Schott said burning is the most cost-effective option for some residents.
“One of my concerns,” said Schott, “is if we ban it, how many leaves there will be left just laying around from the people who either will not or cannot afford the bags. You spend quite a bit of money if you have a big yard and a lot of leaves.”
“We’ve got people’s health to think of,” Berkland said.
“We’ve got people’s pocketbooks to think of, too,” Schott said.
Council member Dr. Randy McCaulley, absent at the Nov. 18 meeting, offered his opinion at the Dec. 2 meeting.
“When we talked about this quite some time ago,” McCaulley said, “we talked about it being kind of a compromise between two opinions. I guess I just want to go on record that it’s worked out pretty well although, if anything, there’s people that wish we would go longer, especially when we have a late fall. I think what we’ve compromised to this point, I think, is really a good compromise. I would encourage us not to abandon that agreement that we came to.”
Prior to spring 2016, the Perry City Council permitted the open burning of yard waste twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall. The in-town burning of yard waste in the spring was last permitted in 2015 from April 1 to May 31. At the urging of then-Perry City Council member Phil Stone, the council first prohibited spring burning in 2016 and also narrowed the window for fall burning to about three weeks.
Barb Wolling said she appreciated the city’s late pickup of yard waste. She said she donated some leaf bags to a neighbor who was preparing to burn wet leaves.
“We will be discussing that again next fall,” Andorf said.
