Tag: Collection

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

One round for Spring Leaf Collection April 3-7

MUSCATINE, Iowa – Spring leaf collection will last just one week and there will be just one round of curbside collection from Muscatine residences in April according to the Department of Public Works (DPW). Residents are urged to gather their unwanted leaves curbside no later than April 2 for the curbside collection event set for April 3-7.

“We are asking residents who want the City of Muscatine to collect their left-over leaves to have them raked to the curb by April 2,” Tyson Wedekind, Roadway Maintenance Supervisor, said. “We will be making just one round through each zone this year.”

Only one leaf vacuum truck will be sent out during the week. That truck will start in Zone 1 Monday and continue making one round through all zones. The primary collection effort will end when Zone 8 is completed.

“Due to the constraints of staffing and the number of projects that are or will be underway this spring, we decided to have just one round of collection,” Wedekind said. “Therefore it is important for residents who want to utilize this opportunity to have their leaves raked and ready to pick up by April 2.”

Residents who miss the collection can utilize their left-over leaves for mulch, place them in a compost pile on the resident’s property, or place them into City of Muscatine leaf bags. Residents can place the bags curbside for collection by the Solid Waste Division on their regular refuse collection day, or transport the bags to the Compost Facility at the Muscatine Transfer Station. City of Muscatine leaf bags are available at the Muscatine Transfer Station, and at Hy-Vee and Fareway.

Wedekind also said that DPW will not be taking any calls for leaf collection this spring.

General guidelines for leaf pickup:

  • Leaves should be placed near but not beyond the curb, and should be within reach of the leaf vacuum. Leaves should be free of tree branches and twigs as they can cause the leaf vacuums to clog up. 
  • All leaves must be placed outside of fenced areas.
  • Leaves are not to be placed in the street to avoid clogging storm drains.
  • Leaves should not be placed in street or extend into traffic lanes, thereby creating traffic hazards.
  • Leaves should not be placed around obstacles such as mailbox posts, sign posts and light poles.
  • Crews will not pick up leaves mixed with debris, logs, branches, rocks, plastic, metal or glass containers, or any other types of refuse.
  • Leaves should not be placed on City cul-de-sacs, vacant land, or City property except on the public right-of-way along the curb/shoulder area.
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City of Muscatine Press Releases

City working to catch up in leaf collection

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The fall leaf collection program conducted by the Department of Public Works (DPW) is behind schedule for the second round, and are still working to collect leaves in Zone 6, one of the most heavily tree ladened zones in the city. Once Zone 6, DPW crews will move into Zone 7 and then to Zone 8 to complete the second round.

Two crews are currently working in Zone 6 with a third truck anticipated to join the effort once personnel can be allocated to crew the truck from other projects.

Residents who have already raked their leaves to the curb are asked to be patient and that city crews will collect the deposited leaves as they move through each zone. An additional round of collection through the eight city zones is dependent on the weather.

Additional announcements will be made as the trucks move into additional zones. Residents are asked to be patient as the effort continues. For additional information or if you have questions, please email feedback@muscatineiowa.gov.  

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Fall leaf collection resumes after pause for winter weather

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The fall leaf collection program was resumed by the Department of Public Works (DPW) Thursday after pausing for the past three days due to the winter weather that moved through Muscatine earlier this week. 

Snow and ice control take precedence over all other work as trucks are outfitted with plows and salt boxes prior to the arrival of winter weather. Once the control efforts have been completed, the DPW trucks are washed down due to the accumulation of salt and put back into regular service. 

One leaf vacuum truck was out Thursday with one more truck joining the effort on Friday according to DPW officials. Leaf collection completed Zone 5 Thursday and will start in Zone 6 Friday working through zones 7 and 8 to complete the second round.

Residents who have already raked their leaves to the curb are asked to be patient and that city crews will collect the deposited leaves as they move through each zone. An additional round of collection through the eight city zones is dependent on the weather.

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City of Muscatine Press Releases

Curbside bulky waste collection benefitting residents and City

MUSCATINE, Iowa – The City of Muscatine implemented the Bulky Waste Collection Program in 2020 as a replacement for the annual Spring Cleanup Week and as an enhancement to the already established curbside waste pickup program.

 

Curbside bulky waste collection was previously offered to Muscatine and Fruitland residents for free three times a year, and a massive collection effort was staged in late April with a designated Spring Cleanup Week.

 

The current program eliminated Spring Cleanup Week and permits unlimited free curbside bulky waste collection throughout the calendar year from Muscatine and Fruitland residential refuse customers. Residents are limited to having two appliances collected free of charge per calendar year, however, with the Solid Waste Division picking up additional appliances for a fee that must be paid before collection.

 

The Curbside Bulky Waste Collection program has saved the city money and has, for the most part, eliminated the unsightly, oversized, and potentially hazardous piles of bulky waste that were normally scene throughout Muscatine prior to and during Spring Cleanup Week.

 

“The cleanup week collection required assistance from multiple divisions and the use of temporary workers,” Brian Stineman, Public Works Director, said. “And it took away resources that should have been used for roadway maintenance projects.”

 

In the past the City used 13 full time employees, nine temporary employees, and 14 pieces of equipment from the Department of Public Works along with eight full time employees, 17 temporary employees, and eight pieces of equipment from the Solid Waste Division to complete the collections during the designated Spring Cleanup Week.

 

“Going to a program where we schedule pickups on resident’s regular refuse collection day allows us to limit the workload to just two employees and one piece of equipment,” David Popp, Solid Waste Manager, said. “Having residents call in to schedule pickups makes better use of our time and of residents’ time.”

 

Residents wanting a curbside bulky waste collection will need to call 563-264-JUNK (563-264-5865) or email the Muscatine Transfer Station at bulkywaste@muscatineiowa.gov to schedule a pickup on the residents refuse collection day.

 

Please call by 3:30 p.m. at least two (2) days before your regular refuse collection day to schedule a curbside bulk waste pickup.

 

“If you call in and get the answering machine we will call you back,” Jennifer Calcott, Transfer Station clerk, said. “If you email us, we will call you. We are making every effort to talk with anyone who calls in to review the rules and set up a collection day. The most important thing for the public is to remember that you need to call in at least two business days ahead of your collection day to be put on the schedule.”

 

If residents have a large amount of bulky waste items they would like collected by the City, multiple pickups can be scheduled to keep the piles to a more manageable size for both the resident and City staff.

 

Once a pickup is scheduled with the City, residents will be permitted to place the unwanted items curbside the night before their regular refuse collection day or by 5:00 a.m. on the collection day.

 

Popp noted that scavengers are a problem when setting out bulky waste in terms of creating a bigger mess for his staff to cleanup and in terms of creating hazards in the taking apart of appliances and other items in the boulevard. Pieces of scavenged material such as nuts, bolts, and pieces of glass create hazards not only for the City workers but also for the residents.

 

“We may not see all the little pieces that the scavengers leave behind and that could create a hazard for the resident and their family,” Popp said.

 

Residents could also clean up the bulky waste themselves and haul the material to the Transfer Station where they would be charged a tipping floor fee.

 

A link to the Bulky Waste Collection page on the City of Muscatine website is located in the upper right half of the main page. You can also visit the Solid Waste Division page or visit the Transfer Station page for more information.

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