Des Moines City Curbside Collection Begins August 17

Press release from the City of Des Moines:

August 14, 2020

DES MOINES, IOWA – Friday, August 14, 2020 – The City of Des Moines Public Works Department will begin curbside collection of storm-related tree debris starting Monday, August 17 at 6:00 a.m. All material must be placed out for collection in all areas of the City by this day and time. Crews are only stopping by each residence once and will be using an app to track when a street has been cleared.“

Due to the severity and damage created by this storm, we are looking at several weeks, not days, to respond to everyone in the City,” said Public Works Director Jonathan Gano. “We ask residents to be patient and provide Public Works crews plenty of room to safely perform this one-time collection.”

Residents must follow these guidelines:

• Tree branches must be placed on City right-of-way “parallel” to the curb. The placement of branches the same direction as the street and/or sidewalk allows mechanical equipment to load the material efficiently and minimize damage to the right-of-way. City crews will only be collecting material that is placed on the edge of the street.
• Branches cannot exceed 18 inches in diameter or eight feet in length.
• Branches that are too long will be left behind.
• Residents are encouraged to utilize the Metro Waste Authority Compost-It! program for smaller debris that is typically handled by this program. Bags and bundles will be collected on the regularly scheduled collection day.
• Garden vegetation and incidental trimming and branches from trees not damaged from the storm should not be placed out for collection. Put in bags or bundles for collection on your regular collection day.
• Tree branches should not be placed near fire hydrants, mailboxes, utilities or any other item in the right-of-way which could be damaged by equipment during the collection.
• No tree material from work done by private contractors should be placed on the right-of-way for collection. Contractors are required to haul away any tree debris that is a result of their work.

If a resident has a large private tree that’s down, their best course of action is to hire a tree service to remove and dispose of it.

The regular SCRUB event is still scheduled for Saturday, August 15 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. at the MWA Compost Center (1601 Harriett Street) and MWA Transfer Station (4198 Delaware Avenue) for Des Moines residents only. Storm debris can only be delivered to the MWA Compost Center. Regular SCRUB guidelines apply, including trailer size restrictions. For a full list of guidelines, visit DSM.city/SCRUB.

For additional information, residents are encouraged to call the 24-hour Public Works Customer Service Center at (515) 283-4950.

This press release was produced by the City of Des Moines. The views expressed here are the author’s own.