"michael" wrote ...
Our local council is becoming very efficient at collecting leaves from
roads and paths,thus making it difficult for me to wait until there is
sufficient quantity to bag up,and take down my allotment.The council
used to deliver leaves to our allotment site,but they were always full
of cans crisp bags,and even a couple of syringes(!).So I find it
better to collect my own leaves,and thus avoid,if possible,the
rubbish.I did not used to collect leaves from roadsides,since I
thought of the oil and leaded petrol deposits that would contaminate
the leaf mould.However,now that the majority of cars run on unleaded
petrol,and are moden enough not to drop oil,I am happier about it.Also
I am reluctant to use animal (horse or cow)manure for mixing with
compost at the moment because of the herbicide problem produced by the
Dow Chemical Company.
There is also the problem of dog faeces mixed up with the leaves,which
can be unpleasant,but again not as usual these days as most dog owners
seem to use bags.
Does it matter if some faeces ends up in the leaf mould,assuming that
one regular washes ones hands?

Having looked into road pollution for our allotment site (which is between
the M3 and M25 at the Thorpe interchange) you should be more concerned about
tyre dust than exhaust pollution. Tyres contain some nasty pollutants. That
said pollution diminishes quickly after only a few yards from a main road.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
just W. of London