Even if you call the season autumn or harvest, the leaves are going to fall.

And, the City of Warren will pick them back up.

The Department of Public Works will begin leaf collection on Monday, Oct. 18… at the latest.

“We’re hopefully going to get a machine out and start picking up piles by the end of this week,” DPW Superintendent Joe Reinke said. “For sure, we’ll be out every day starting next Monday.”

It is not a one-and-done event. “We will continue to pick up leaves until the snow doesn’t allow us to any more,” Reinke said.

There is no specific schedule to the effort.

“We pick up leaves in the most needed areas,” Reinke said. “When we go full bore, we have two crews. The two are typically on different sides of town.”

“In one week’s time, we cover the whole town,” he said.

“Please don’t call us with leaf piles,” he said. “Our guys have been doing this a long time. We didn’t miss your pile. If we did skip it, there was a good reason for it and we’ll be back.”

While the city doesn’t need suggestions, there are things people can do to help. “If you see a big leaf pile, try not to park right in front of it,” Reinke said.

Leaves should be piled on the lawn near the curb — not in the street.

Bagged leaves will be picked up separately.

There is no pick-up service for limbs and yard waste. Those things should not be mixed in with leaves.

“If you want to get rid of limbs and other yard waste, residents are encouraged to bring those types of materials over the sewage treatment plant,” Reinke said.