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Raking leaves into sewers can cause basement backups and flood streets.

The recent weather has been warm, but fall is officially here and leaves are starting to fall from the trees. And falling leaves means it’s time to get out the rakes.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) wants to remind customers not to rake or dispose of leaves into the sewer system. Properly disposing of leaves and other yard waste keeps the debris from entering the sewer system and causing basement backups and flooding streets.

However, customers sometimes mistakenly view the sewer system as a “trash can” and dump their leaves and yard waste into inlets. MSD asks customers to instead rake their leaves and either bag them for pick up or dispose of them in a yard waste dumpster. Raking leaves into a sewer inlet is a violation of MSD ordinance 12559, and it is not part of the waste management programs established by St. Louis City and St. Louis County.

Not only is raking leaves good for the environment, it’s
also good for you. New government exercise guidelines issued this week list raking leaves as a form of exercise that can help you meet the recommended weekly exercise guidelines of 2 and a half hours.

If you do experience a basement backup or other service related issue, contact MSD’s 24-hour customer service line at (314) 768-6260.

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