Leaf season begins: Münster ensures safe streets and sidewalks!

Leaf season begins: Münster ensures safe streets and sidewalks!

The leaf season has begun in Münster and the teams from the Münster Waste Management Company (awm) are already hard at work. Around 80 dedicated employees work in two shifts to remove fallen autumn leaves from the streets and sidewalks. Protecting traffic safety has the highest priority. As Manuela Feldkamp-Bode, awm spokeswoman, emphasizes, their goal is to prevent accidents that could occur due to slippery leaves. “We work in two shifts to ensure traffic safety on Münster’s streets and paths,” says Feldkamp-Bode.

Waste management expects that around 1,000 tons of leaves will be collected by the end of the season. Once again it becomes clear that it is not just waste management that is challenged; Property owners are also encouraged to take action. You can see in the tax notices whether and to what extent they are obliged to clean the sidewalks. If only a small fee for street cleaning is noted, residents are obliged to remove the leaves themselves. This fact illustrates how important it is to proactively keep your own sidewalk clean, especially at times when the leaves are falling particularly high.

The responsibility of the residents

A variety of rules and regulations accompany the foliage season. All residents have a duty to take action if traffic safety on sidewalks is threatened by leaves. Particularly immediate action is required after stormy days when large amounts of leaves accumulate on the paths. But it's not just a question of safety: According to regulations, leaves must not be swept into the streets or gutters. This measure could not only clog the drains, but also significantly increase the workload of awm employees. “In addition to blocked gullies, this would also mean that our teams would no longer be able to complete their daily workload in the already very labor-intensive autumn period due to the additional amounts of leaves,” warns Feldkamp-Bode.

There are various options available to residents when it comes to disposing of leaves. Leaves can be disposed of in the organic waste bin, in municipal garden waste bags that are picked up by the awm, or taken to the city's recycling centers. Most importantly, the collected leaves are processed in the composting facility to produce high-quality compost that can be useful for future garden projects.

Residents who wish to transport large quantities of leaves must ensure that they use the correct recycling center. The recycling and disposal center in Coerde (Zum Heidehof 80) is available for this purpose, as only there is sufficient maneuvering space to park trailers safely. The awm customer service is also an important contact point for questions about the leaf season; the customer center can be contacted on 0251 / 60 52 53.

The upcoming season presents challenges, both for waste management and for citizens. It remains to be seen how the cooperation between the awm and the residents will work out in order to efficiently manage leaf behavior and thus ensure traffic safety in the city of Münster. Correct disposal and communication about the obligations are key factors in successfully meeting this challenge. The growing number of mobilized employees and the proactive participation of residents could have a significantly positive impact on the interaction between nature and the city, which ultimately also benefits the quality of life. Despite the challenges that the leaf season brings with it, awm is well positioned to overcome this task.