Last call for pickup of leaves in Riverhead

The last of Riverhead’s loose leaf pickups will take place next week in the western part of the town, between Hulse Landing Road and the Brookhaven Town line.

Highway Superintendent George Woodson told town residents in a flier that increased costs mean the long-standing practice of sweeping leaves with a vacuum truck will end this year.

The highway department will continue to collect bagged leaves, and gives away free biodegradable bags at the Highway Department office on Osborn Avenue.

This week, the town has been vacuuming up loose leaves between Northville Turnpike and Hulse Landing Road.

Town officials have asked town residents to rake their leaves into a single pile — not one long pile running all along the edge of their property — and to keep the leaf pile off the road. The highway department will not pick up leaves left by landscapers.