With the tree leaves falling slightly earlier this year, Veolia’s street cleaners have already begun clearing fallen leaves from our streets over the last few weeks, making sure the borough’s pavements and gutters are clear of leaves.

The team have already been incredibly busy, clearing a massive five tonnes of leaves in the first two weeks! Last year, we cleared an eye-watering 300 tonnes of leaves from Merton’s streets.

Clearing leaves ensures that they do not become hazardous to road users/pedestrians and prevents them from blocking roadside gullies, reducing the risk of flooding.

We are lucky to be one of London’s greenest boroughs and with over 220,000 street trees in Merton, the council’s additional street crews will be prioritising leaf sweeping to make sure the streets with the most leaf-fall are cleared.

Residents with compost bins can help by collecting leaves from the front of their homes and composting them in their gardens.

Residents that use the garden waste collection service can also use their bin to remove leaf fall from their gardens. 

People can also help by not sweeping leaves from their gardens, drives or pavements into the road, which may block the gullies and cause flooding.