Very true, and the same people that are blowing the leaves away, would likely be the same ones paying for chemical fertilisers and bags of mulch come springtime.
Our town council collects garden waste and leaves and grass clippings, it also collects what is swept up by the road cleaners, and it is then made into compost and mulch, to be used in public gardens and parks, and in the national parks for areas of land degradation.
Do you have anything like this where you live Chiron?