Winter Gives Way To Yardwaste Season

Southern Michigan, where I used to live, was said to have two seasons: winter and road construction. It was a gloomy assessment, but sometimes seemed all too accurate.

Thankfully, Princeton lacks the interminably grey winters of southern Michigan, and is bikeable enough that road construction is less often an obstruction. But for those who walk borough streets, it feels more and more like the town's two seasons are winter and yardwaste. Winter lasts roughly from January through February, during which one can enjoy clean streets if it doesn't snow. With March comes the first modest dumpings at the curb,

which continue through the summer and into fall, climaxing with the blitz of leaves that threaten to obscure the pavement altogether.

I try to imagine that this tradition reflects a dogged effort to do away with pavement and turn Princeton into one large greenspace, but the reality is that a whole bunch of soft, rainwater-absorbing material is being exported, making Princeton's yards less absorptive of rainwater, and more apt to amplify flooding.

It's not that hard for most homeowners to make a little spot in a back corner, screened by some shrubs if desired, where leaves and even some brush can be tossed. Take advantage of nature's onsite recycling services, and make a spot this year where a little dk is ok.