At its August 15 meeting, Greensboro City Council approved a much anticipated change to its Loose Leaf Collection Program and yard waste collections. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2024-25, the Loose Leaf Collection Program will no longer use the vacuum trucks to pick up leaves at the curb and it will no longer accept plastic bags filled with leaves and yard waste. Instead, the City will provide residents with one 95-gallon yard waste bin that will be collected every week. Residents will have the option of purchasing a second 95-gallon yard waste bin.

In place of plastic bags, residents can use only biodegradable paper bags for additional yard waste beginning March 1, 2024. These are available at any hardware store, big box store and online. The biodegradable paper bags will be limited to 10 per week in addition to the cart. During the loose leaf season though, this will be extended to 15 bags per week. This change brings Greensboro in line with its peer cities in North Carolina like Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham. It is also a more sustainable and equitable practice.

More news and educational information will be forthcoming leading into fall 2024.

As Greensboro continues to position itself as the Youth Sports Capital of the southeast, Council approved a contract for new sports field lighting for five athletic fields at Bryan Park. This will allow Bryan Park to offer increased play and opportunities for additional tournament play, meaning more sports tourism for Greensboro.

The Greensboro Fire Department will be getting approximately $3M to replace all of its fire breathing apparatus that is coming to the end of its warranty in October 2023.

Council addressed critical infrastructure by approving a bid for $1.75M for the Murrow Boulevard Bridge Repairs Project. This project also includes both federal and state funding.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5.