Leaves are leaving.

Leaves will be collected starting today as part of the City of DeKalb’s Annual Loose Leaf Collection Program.

Vacuum trucks from the City of DeKalb’s Street Division will pick up the fallen foliage from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, alternating between two sections weekly, according to a DeKalb press release.

The program began today and will continue until Dec. 1, depending on weather.

Section one covers areas south of, and including, Lincoln Highway, and section two covers north of Lincoln Highway, the press release said.

“[The program] keeps city streets free and clear of leaves,” said Mark Espy, assistant director of DeKalb Public Works. “All the material [the street division] collects would go into the river if they didn’t clean it.”

Residents should rake loose leaves to the gutter line, which is located between the sidewalk and the street, and it is stressed that leaves should not be raked into the street. Off street parking should also be utilized as much as possible, said the press release.

“We deposit about 200 tons [of leaves] at a compost facility at the DeKalb landfill,” Espy said. “People can get small portions [of compost] at no charge for flowerbeds and such.”

Weather plays a large role in determining how long the street division will continue to pick up leaves. The vacuum trucks used are actually converted snow plow trucks.

If snowfall starts early, then the program will have to be put on hold because plowing is a bigger priority, Espy said.