Dates and rules set for Charles City Residential Spring Cleanup

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Got a lot of stuff to get rid of? One of the new options for the Charles City Residential Spring Cleanup this year is a big dumpster parked at your home for 24 hours.

This year’s spring cleanup has been set for the weeks of April 12-23 and April 26-29.

To help make up for not being able to hold the event last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city announced a few changes this year.

The biggest change is the option to have a 14½-cubic-yard dumpster delivered to residences, to be filled by the residents for 24 hours then picked up again. The dumpsters are 7 feet wide by 14 feet long by 4 feet high.

The city said residents have an option of a dumpster delivered and picked up during the two weeks from Monday, April 12, to Friday, April 23, or the regular curbside pickup during the week of Monday through Thursday, April 26-29.

“You have a choice between having a dumpster for a 24-hour period or setting your bagged items curbside,” the city said in a statement regarding the cleanup. “You can’t do both, so if you get a dumpster you will have no curbside pickup,” it said.

Call City Hall at 641-257-6300 to reserve a dumpster or for more information.

In another change, items set out for curbside pickup must be bagged in regular garbage bags, and not cardboard boxes. Each residence can have a pile 2 feet wide by 8 feet long by 3 feet high of bagged items, which will be picked up by the city or Jendro Sanitation crews during the week of April 26 to 29.

“You can use non-orange bags for this,” the city said.

In addition to the option of either the dumpster or the curbside bag pickup, each residence is allowed two bulky items such as a couch, mattress and box spring, recliner, etc., to be picked up Monday, April 26.

Other guidelines include:

• Items must be placed curbside no later than Sunday evening, April 25, to limit person-to-person contact. Pickup will begin 5 a.m. Monday morning.
• Crews will make a pass for bulky items on Monday, and a final pass for bagged items Monday through Thursday.
• Anything set out before April 24 or left out after April 30 may be subject to a nuisance violation.
• Regular garbage and recycling service will be delayed one day from your normal pickup day.

The city said it is doing what it can to reduce potential COVID-19 exposure and so requests attention to the new schedule and processes this year.

Acceptable items for pick up include:

• Furniture and household items.
• Minor home remodeling debris — must be bagged or bundled, no cardboard boxes allowed, weigh less than 50 pounds, and not be longer that 4 feet.
• Paint cans containing dry paints, with lid removed.

Non-acceptable items for pick up include:

• Major household appliances, televisions or computer equipment.
• Corrugated cardboard.
• Tires or batteries.
• Shingles, tarpaper or construction debris.
• Hazardous waste materials such as liquid paint, solvents, pesticides or herbicides.
• Sharps/needles or other medical waste
• Landscape waste such as grass clippings, leaves, tree limbs or brush.

The city brush curbside pickup dates will be May 10, June 21 and Oct. 18; leaf pickup dates will be Oct. 25 and Nov. 15. The Shaw Avenue Compost Site is available early spring to late fall during daylight hours for city residents.

What not to do:

• Do not place non-acceptable items curbside for pickup.
• Do not bring items to the curb as crews are picking up. Set them out the day prior.
• Do not place items curbside prior to Saturday April 24.
• Items placed curbside for pickup must originate from property where they are picked up.
• No items from outside city limits will be accepted.
• Items in excess of the allowed amount are subject to a charge.
• Do not place items in the alley.
• Do not place televisions, major appliances “white goods” or computer equipment curbside.

The city and Jendro Sanitation retain the right to refuse pickup of any items. Refused items must be properly disposed of by the homeowner or tenant within three days.

If you have any questions or wish to schedule a dumpster, contact City Hall at 641-257-6300.