There will be just one round of curbside leaf collection in Muscatine this spring according to the Department of Public Works (DPW). Residents who want to take advantage of this service are urged to break out their rakes, put on their work gloves, and move their unwanted leaves curbside this weekend (no later than 7 a.m. Monday, April 1) for the curbside collection event that begins in Zone 1 Monday.
“Spring is here and Public Works will have one leaf truck out starting next Monday,” Tyson Wedekind, Roadway Maintenance Supervisor, said. “We will be making just one round through each zone this year. 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 1.”
The leaf vacuum truck will start in Zone 1 on Monday and continue making one round through each zone. There will NOT be a second round and the collection effort will end when Zone 8 is completed.
Wedekind also said that DPW will not be taking any calls for leaf collection this spring.
There is no written schedule for the leaf truck as the time spent in each zone depends on how many piles of leaves the crew encounters. Once the truck completes its tour of one zone and advances to the next, they will not be back to the previous zone.
“Just be sure to have your leaves out by Monday morning, especially for those in the first several zones,” Wedekind said.
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 a 20- or 30-gallon paper compostable bags. Residents should close the bags with a City of Muscatine sticker and place them curbside for collection by the Solid Waste Division on their regular refuse collection day.
Residents can also transport the bags to the Compost Facility at the Muscatine Transfer Station. Bags should be secured during transport to prevent falling onto the pavement enroute to the Compost Facility.
City of Muscatine stickers are for residential yard waste collection, and are available at the Muscatine Transfer Station, Muscatine City Hall, Muscatine Public Works, Fareway, and at Hy-Vee and Hy-Vee Main Street.
Please contact the Muscatine Transfer Station (563-263-9689) for questions about the stickers.
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.
