DeKalb and Sycamore leaf collections are taking place through the end of the month.

Collection trucks hit the streets earlier this month, towing vacuum-powered collection machines to remove the leaf piles.

Public works employees who spot foreign objects in leaf piles will reject them to prevent debris from clogging collection machines.

Collections are performed as often as public works employees can manage, but delays caused by weather and residents’ raking habits are sometimes unavoidable.

Both Sycamore and DeKalb’s public works departments encourage residents to rake “early and often,” and not only after trees have shed their final leaves, according to a Sycamore press release.

Piles inaccessible to the vacuum equipment will remain uncollected.

“What’ll happen is, with the first snowfall, it’ll get blown back into the parkway,” said Fred Busse, Sycamore Public Works director, of the abandoned leaves. “Those piles will be there come springtime.”

In DeKalb, collections north of Lincoln Highway were performed between Nov. 19 and 21. Remaining streets will be cleaned between today and Friday.

Refuse in proper yard-waste paper bags will be hauled along with garbage on regularly scheduled Waste Management routes.