Autumn has arrived in Poznań, bringing cooler temperatures, colourful trees and, inevitably, pavements covered in fallen leaves. The city’s annual “Liść” campaign is now underway, with the Municipal Roads Authority (ZDM) providing free bags and arranging collection for residents responsible for clearing pavements alongside their properties.
The scheme is aimed primarily at owners, administrators and caretakers of houses and other individual properties where the pavement directly borders the property. It is not a service for residents of apartment blocks to order bags for their buildings. In blocks of flats, responsibility for communal areas and arrangements for dealing with leaves lies with the relevant property manager, administrator or housing association.
The “Liść” campaign will run until the end of the year.
Free bags for leaves collected from pavements
Under Polish law, the owner of a property is generally responsible for keeping a pavement directly alongside their property clear. This becomes particularly noticeable in Poznań during autumn, when leaves from roadside trees can quickly cover pavements.
ZDM’s annual campaign is designed to make this seasonal job easier. Residents taking part can order bags free of charge, with ZDM also covering their collection.
To request bags, residents should provide the street name and property number where they are required. Orders can be placed by calling the city’s POZnan*KONTAKT helpline on 61 646 33 44, Monday to Friday between 7.30 am and 8 pm, or by emailing liscie@zdm.poznan.pl.
The number of bags supplied will depend on the amount of roadside tree cover around the property. They are delivered directly to the address given by the resident, either placed in the gate or passed over the property fence.
If the bags are used up, another order can be made.
ZDM does not provide large quantities of bags to a property manager or administrator for distribution among individual caretakers. Bags are delivered directly to the places where the leaves will actually be collected.
Where should full bags be left?
Once filled, the bags should remain where the leaves were collected, in an accessible location such as the roadside or the section of pavement on the property side.
Residents are asked not to create large piles of bags in one place. Apart from taking up space, this can encourage other people to dump household rubbish there and potentially lead to illegal waste sites. For the same reason, ZDM will not establish central collection points for the bags.
The bags should also not be left in green strips separating carriageways.
Collection will take place regularly, according to a timetable covering different parts of Poznań.
Only leaves from ZDM-managed road areas
There is an important restriction on what can be placed in the bags. The ZDM scheme covers leaves collected from the road area under the authority’s administration, including the relevant pavements.
Garden waste from a private property should not be put into the bags. Neither should household rubbish, other municipal waste or plants collected from a garden.
ZDM’s contractors will only collect leaves gathered from the area covered by the scheme. Bags containing other types of waste will not be collected.
For residents living in individual houses along Poznań’s tree-lined streets, “Liść” offers a practical way to deal with the annual build-up of leaves on pavements. Those living in apartment blocks should instead contact their building’s administrator or property manager regarding the removal of leaves around their block.
The ZDM collection timetable provides details of when filled bags will be collected in different parts of the city.
See more: SOS for Water: Poland Comes Together To Protect Its Natural Environment
Source and image credit: poznan.pl, ZDM
