The City of Knoxville's annual "Leaf Season" begins this week and that means Public Service Department crews will be visiting your neighborhood several times between now and February to vacuum up leaves.

Leaf Season runs from November 1 thru February 1, each year. During this period the normal two-week brush schedule is suspended and the bulk of Public Service Department resources are concentrated on collecting leaves throughout the community. 
 
You can find out the next time your leaves will be picked up by accessing the city's website at www.cityofknoxville.org and clicking on the "Leaf Pickup Schedule" icon on the right side of the page.

That directs the user to fill in their street name - don't include the house number or street type like drive, road or avenue - and responds by letting them know approximately when public service crews will be in their neighborhood.

The schedules are done on a weekly basis so the date residents receive will always be a Monday and the crews will be there sometime that week. Schedules are subject to change based on weather conditions and other events, so users should periodically check the site for schedule updates.

Further information is also available by calling 311, which is your direct line to the City of Knoxville and its services.

Last year marked the first time that residents could go online to find out when their leaves would be picked up.

The improved service was the result of a cooperative effort between 311, the Public Service Department and the city's Information Services Division responding to numerous requests for a means of accessing leaf pickup schedules outside business hours. 
 
"It worked out extremely well," said 311 Director Russ Jensen. "We had a 30 percent decrease in the number of calls concerning leaf pickup last year and that's a direct result of people being able to see the information on the website." 
 
This is the busiest time of the year for the city's Public Service Department, which will pick up nearly 7,500 tons, or about 15 million pounds of leaves, from Knoxville's neighborhoods.

That accounts for roughly 25 percent of the total yard waste collected by the city each year according to David Brace, director of the Public Service Department. 
 
"Fall is an absolutely beautiful time of year in East Tennessee but for our public works personnel, it is one of our busiest," Brace said. "Leaf collection is a key service we provide for our customers and is important for both the look of our community during the holiday season and for properly maintaining our roads and stormwater facilities." 
 
While leaf season begins in November and concludes on Feb. 1, the bulk of the leaves will be collected by Christmas. The weekly schedules are designed by the managers of the city's six service areas based on past experience but also taking into account current weather and conditions.

The city uses trucks equipped with suction devices to vacuum up leaves, which need to be raked to within five feet of the curb for pickup.

Please don't rake leaves into the street and try not to block drainage ditches if possible.

Also please don't mix brush in with leaf piles. The leaf collection equipment is only designed to vacuum up leaves and can be damaged by brush.

The city will not pick up mixed piles of brush, or other refuse, and leaves.

Brush collection does continue during November, December and January but it's done on a limited basis, as resources are available.