Paper leaf bags offered at Home Depot again

By MARY ANN GREIER

Staff Writer

SALEM -- With fall comes the leaves and once again residents in the city of Salem and Perry Township can snag some free environmentally-friendly paper leaf bags during a distribution from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 14 at Home Depot.

City Service/Safety Director Ken Kenst announced the event is being sponsored by the city, Perry Township, Home Depot and CCH Environmental Group, also known as the solid waste district serving Columbiana, Carroll and Harrison counties. This is the fifth annual leaf bag giveaway for the Salem area.

The leaf bags are biodegradable, meaning they easily break down and can be mulched right in with the leaves, which means less time and less hassle for city workers when leaf pickup begins. If residents use plastic bags, city workers have to rip them open and dump the leaves out on the pile so the plastic is not mixed in with the leaves. The plastic bags then have to be placed in the garbage.

Kenst said he prefers that residents use the paper bags because the plastic bags delay the whole process after they're picked up. Some people still use plastic bags, but Kenst said "I see no reason why they would since paper ones are free."

"We should be going with paper because plastic ends up in a landfill," he said.

Residents can expect to receive a coupon in their water/sewer bill that's worth 20 free leaf bags.

They must present the coupon to receive their free bags. No photocopies will be accepted, with bags distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The distribution is for both city property owners and residents in the unincorporated area of the township. If not a sewer or water customer, the resident should have identification to show where they live. Perry Township Trustees also announced the leaf bag distribution at their recent meeting.

If anyone can't attend the distribution, they can still get the free leaf bags at Salem City Hall after the distribution date.

Leaf bag pickup in the city won't begin until Nov. 1, but city workers may pick up bags before that as they see them, time permitting. All leaves must be bagged to be picked up.

mgreier@salemnews.net