Last week's rains and weekend winds offer further proof that leaf season is here; many yards are already covered in red, brown and yellow.  With that in mind, here are town guidelines for leaf removal.

South Orange will remove leaves from all but county roads (Scotland/Valley, Wyoming, Irvington and South Orange Avenues; those residents can call 973 23-3366 for a schedule.). Pickup begins on November 5 and continues until mid-December. A helpful map on the Village website makes clear when residents can expect pickups; if the street is green, go ahead and rake. If it's red, residents shouldn't put out leaves.

In addition, the Village website reminds residents that unbagged leaves should be raked into the street, not more than four feet from the curb. Leaves should not impede traffic, and shouldn't be raked within 10 feet of storm catch basins.

Evenly distributed leaves are easier to pick up with the leaf vacuum
 collector. Residents are asked to avoid creating leaf mounds since they
 attract children who are then subjected to traffic dangers and can create fire and traffic hazards.

Leaf pick-up cycles in South Orange are estimated at eleven days,
depending on volume and weather conditions. To reduce clutter between collections,
residents are asked to approximate upcoming pick-up days and
rake out accordingly.