DC's leaf collection improves with new 'claw' tool, saving time and manpower | WJLA

WASHINGTON (7News) — The second pass for leaf collection is happening in D.C., but this year there’s a new tool that’s helping to make things a lot more efficient.

“It is called the claw, and what it does is it can pick up an abundance amount of leaves at one time, as opposed to us having to send an entire team to pick up large piles,” explained Warnique West, D.C.’s Department of Public Works’ Associate Administrator. “We can cut down with the personnel and the timing by getting that claw here to pick up those big piles and dispose of them quickly. Where at the end, we just may need a sweeper to come through to pick up the remaining debris.”

Typically, without the claw, a full crew includes someone driving the truck, another person holding the vacuum, and a couple of people raking them into place. With the claw, West says they can cut the time they spend on each street down by about 30 minutes.

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“When you have heavy or large piles, sometimes I mean, I’m five-two,” described West. “It can be as tall as me and as long as a pickup truck. And so when you bring out that claw, you’re able to pick up maybe two scoops or three scoops you can pick up all of the leaves.”

She says picking up large piles in previous seasons is like grating cheese. Now, a faster pickup plus fewer people means the operation is running a lot more efficiently. Plus, wet leaves are a lot harder to rake and vacuum.

The attachment costs $60,000, and the department currently has three. If you live in D.C. and are wondering when you need to have the leaves by the curb, you can check out the city’s website here.