Back when the Illinois legislature banned open burning while Governor Richard B. Ogilvie was in office (around 1970), Lakewood met the challenge by hiring Vueglar Disposal to suck up the many leaves with a vacuum.
They had to be raked to the edge of the street, but the service eliminated the current need to put them in paper bags.
Now comes McHenry with a notice of when their leaf sucker uppers will be coming to various parts of the city.
2025 Zoned Leaf Vacuuming
Curbside loose-leaf collection is on a bi-weekly, zoned pick-up schedule from October 6th to December 12th, 2025. The City is divided into two (2) pick-up zones: Zone 1 starts October 6th and Zone 2 starts October 13th. Visit this map and view the dates below to determine your pick-ups.
All leaf piles must be placed within 4 feet of the roadway edge or curbing by 7:00 a.m. on the Monday of each zone collection week. Flood Brothers will collect leaves from every residential property in each 1-week period, with a total of five (5) pick-ups per zone.
This service is performed utilizing trucks with specially designed vacuum equipment. Leaf piles must be within 4 feet of the roadway edge or curbing and must be free of brush/branches/rocks as these damage the equipment. Do not place leaf piles on the pavement or in drainage ditches. Cars cannot be parked in the roadway when these collections are being made. Clear access to the curb line or roadside must be maintained in order to properly collect the leaves. Pick-ups may be delayed due to heavy leaf falls and/or heavy rainfalls.
For more information, please visit the City’s website or contact Flood Brothers Disposal at 630-261-0400.
This service is performed utilizing trucks with specially designed vacuum equipment. Leaf piles must be within 4 feet of the roadway edge or curbing and must be free of brush/branches/rocks as this damages the equipment. Do not place leaf piles on the pavement or in drainage ditches. Cars cannot be parked in the roadway when these collections are being made. Clear access to the curb line or roadside must be maintained in order to properly collect the leaves. Pickups may be delayed due to heavy leaf falls and/or heavy rainfalls.
