Why do some people think "living in the country" is a free ticket to live any way you want without regard to others?
Can you imagine what kind of air quality any city of any size would have if EVERYBODY was burning leaves, branches, trash, garbage, etc.? There would be a haze so thick hanging over town that the emergency rooms would be full of people with breathing problems.
And, FYI Spinmaster, many townships, which are "in the country" have regulations regarding burning. And, of course, there is nothing like a nice cool summer evening in the country to have your windows open catching a nice breeze...until your home starts to fill up with the stench of someone's burning, smoldering garbage smoke.

I'm sorry, but neweyes, are you kidding? You bought the house in the winter, so you had no idea that 14 oaks would produce a lot of leaves?

Janesville should permit leaf burning within city limits. Many other cities permit it and you don't hear about them having issues. People will complain about anything, and it's ridiculous. It's OUTSIDE, so I'm sorry, it's not that big of a deal. Just one more reason why it's better to live in the country. Don't have to pander to all the complainers.

Honda guy - you better hope you don't get asthma or lose your job like I did. What a nasty mean thing to say to someone. You should be ashamed of yourself but I imagine that you have no shame.

People who are not nice are just unhappy. I feel sorry for you. I hope your life gets better and you learn that being kind has so many rewards in life.

good ideal! maybe the city could use the money they save not picking up the leaves and use it for plowing this year!

Oh yea, and I do admit that this is the first time in my life that I raked leaves for the curb, BUT, because I agree with Ann Marie about the sewer system and all, I tend to leave them on the grass at the curb rather than in the street. Ice and slick stuff don't like me, so I will walk around it before walking on it.

Besides, wet leaves act just like ice and a 4-wheel drive vehicle will do NOTHING on ice and wet leaves.

I agree with Joan. I do not have asthma, but I literally get sick from the smell. My parents live just over the stateline, but further east. They tend to do the mulching thing, just as they don't pick up the dog stuff... it's great fertilizer and we know where the dog (and the neighbors dogs go to the bathroom).

Back to my point... They live in the country where they can burn things pretty much year round... but they don't burn leaves... Why? Because there is a farmer's field right across the road if they have too many leaves (too many kills the grass), they rarely do it, but they rake the excess leaves onto a tarp and fertilize the corn/soybeans field.

One other reason they don't burn leaves, and have cut WAY DOWN on burning the many limbs, etc. that fall from their mature trees is because one of the neighbors has advanced lung cancer (and she WAS NOT a smoker). It affects her BAD, I believe much the same way as it would irritate a person with asthma, but on a different scale.

It's not about placing yourself in a bubble, it's about a person's life. Fortunately, I am able to deal with the leaves despite my severe allergies to the mold they collect and the fact that they are dead leaves. It's serious. It's nature doing it's course, but...

as Ann Marie said, it's great, essentially free, fertilizer for your yards and gardens. Each home just needs to figure how much of it they need. Talk to a farmer, maybe they would allow you to help fertilize their fields with the leaves.

Ann Marie is correct. Don't rake leaves in a pile to be taken away. Let them dry up at least a little. Then mow them at least a little. Then stir them up with a rake. Rain and snow and gravity will help leaves nourish your lawn and preserve your soil.

momo...., is correct. Leave are organic matter converted from your soil. When you have leaves taken away, you are depleting your soil.

hondaguy: Perhaps if you or someone close to you, such as a child, had asthma, you would be more understanding and concerned about drifting smoke from a smoldering pile of leaves. We all need to be more aware of others and how what we do may affect them.
I also try to chop up leaves with the mower and let them mulch back into the earth. I also gather them up and use them to mulch around plants. But, I suppose if you have a small lot with lots of trees, it would be harder to make use of them all.

hey joan, why dont u just put yourself in a bubble..get a life.. maybe try working instead of complaining about brush disposal

Well, we have a chipper/shredder and a compost pile, but we still rake the leaves to the street. Maybe we have more tree cover than most property owners, but if we don't do something about it, we get a three-inch thick composite of leaves that kills the lawn come spring.
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Leaf burning is, of course, illegal within city limits (ordinance 8.36.030). I believe you can call the non-emergency fire department number 755-3050 and get a timely response.

We live in the city and have 14 mature oaks. The pile of leaves out front is 120 ft long and about 3 feet high. It would require several dump truck loads, as do all of our neighbors. We bought the house in the winter and had no idea what we were in for. I SO appreciate this city service!

Also for the people with breathing problems, contact your local board members, trustees or whoever governs where you live. If leaf burning is illegal where you live, call the police and report the ordinance violation.

I live in an area with lots of oak trees. Our village also picks up leaves, but we do it as time permits, often 2 times a week. We begin leaf pickup in mid October, much earlier than Janesville (November 9-20). Also for those that compost like I do, oak leaves do not compost well, you might as well try composting concrete. For that reason I don't grind them with a lawn mower either.

I totally agree with Joan. This weekend I had neighbors in front and on the side burning leaves... IN THE CITY AT THAT!!!!!
With the leaf burning neighbors and the neighbors that do not pick up their dog waste in their yard, it is horrible being outside my house. Leaf burning should be banned period.

I was hoping we would address something much worse - people who burn leaves. Why are people burning leaves?!!

I know there aren't any asthmatics burning leaves - our symptoms are bad enough during the fall - we don't need to have to try to breathe through this unnecessary smoke. It should be banned - especially in valleys like where I live. Do you know that it gets into our houses? I can't even go out of the house without soon smelling like a bon fire. My asthma doctor asked if I live with a smoker when I arrived for my appointment. I told him about the leave burning, and he said how terrible it is for asthmatics.

We have outlawed smoking in restaurants and bars, so why is this still allowed?

And as a side note - do you realize that when you put another log on the fire, you put another nail in another person's coffin when you live in a valley - like the rock river valley? Do you realize that you may be giving asthma to your child or yourself?

Ann - this is the story. Could you please run it?

I will take Woody up on you coming out to take care of my leaves....the mower will be gased up and ready to go...I do have to warn you it is one of thoes ones that you steer with two lever...zero turn and is hard to get used to:-)

I agree....I chop them up with the mower and feel it is good for the lawn...from the ground to the tree and back to the ground from the tree, wouldn't that be how nature works in a cycle? I also agree that being a homeowner is a lot of work but some of the work is not needed such as raking leaves.

Maybe Ann would want to volunteer some time to show some homeowners how to do it! So let's hear it, any homeowners want Ann to compost their leaves for them?

Being a homeowner takes a lot of work. That's why some people are not homeowners.