Iowa, It's Illegal To Blow Your Leaves Onto The Street

Leaves are everywhere. They're in my yard, on my carpet, in my car, and on my car. Yes, I know it's fall but those little Ash Tree leaves are all over the place and how are they so sticky?!

Yes, just like you, I have to rake my leaves. What some homeowners in Iowa don't know is the proper way to get rid of them and yes, it's even worse when there are leaves from your neighbors that blew into your yard.

No, you can't go and put them back in their yard. There is a right way to get rid of leaves and more than one wrong way to dispose of them. The other ways could get you in trouble and lead to fines.

Putting Leaves In The Garbage In Iowa Is Illegal

Trust me, I thought of doing it too. But it is illegal to put your leaves in your garbage bin to get disposed of in the landfill. Not only could you get in trouble, but so could the cities of Davenport, Bettendorf, or whatever Iowa town you live in.

Why is it illegal to throw leaves in the garbage?

Landfills are designed to store waste and prevent it from “escaping” into the surrounding environment. Once leaves enter a landfill, they’re there to stay.
Leaves placed in a landfill are mixed with other trash so they can’t be recycled or reused.
Leaves, along with other green waste, are uniquely valuable as recycled products or reused in the landscape (for example, as leaf mold or mulch).
Decayed leaves and garden waste make great compost, which is ideally designed to enrich the soil and provide energy for future tree growth.

See, that's why you don't do that.

It's Illegal To Blow Your Leaves Into The Street Too

In the City of Davenport, raking out leaves and blowing grass clippings into the street is considered a violation of the "Clean Water Act" and City Code, Chapter 8.14.400. Remember when I tell you about it being illegal to blow grass into the street? Same thing, bud.

If you're caught doing this, your first fine will land you $100. After that, it could go up to $500.

Burning Leaves Is Also Very Illegal

It's also illegal to have an open fire containing leaves, grass, garbage, building materials, business waste, or other prohibited materials.

The Correct Way To Get Rid Of Leaves

Now through Dec. 5th in Bettendorf and Davenport, you can get rid of those leaves for free. When you rake those leaves and put grass clippings in the Kraft ply bags, you don't need to worry about getting stickers before trash pickup day.

Simply bag up all that yard waste, put your bags at the curb on your trash day, and don't worry about a thing.

After that, you'll need to put a yard waste sticker on each bag. You can also drop off yard waste at the Compost Facility year-round.

Hidden Pizza Gem 1 Hour Outside The Quad Cities

Having the best pizza in the Quad Cities has always been a fierce competition. I mean we even have our own version of pizza for goodness sake. While there are some incredible pizza joints in the Quad Cities, there are other pizza places that you need to visit. Geno's Pizza in Preston, IA is one of those places. It's less than an hour's drive from the Quad Cities and it's a spot you need to try.

Gallery Credit: Connor Kenney/Townsquare Media Quad Cities; Google/American Marketing & Publishing

Ghost In Our Iowa Basement?

As a radio station, we have a lot of people here who have seen some scary stuff. Do you see any ghosts in these photos? I can't, but I also don't know what to look for.

This Isn't The First Face Caught On Camera Here!

In September of 2020 the band "Pit Lord" came to the building to shoot a music video. They shot it in the basement and for a split second in the recording, you can make out a face of what looks to be a woman. You can see that video here.

With a history of ghosts, it's safe to say the basement of our building is CREEPY!