West Windsor Proposes Changes to Brush and Leaf Collection

West Windsor residents are being asked to provide feedback on proposed changes to the Township’s brush and leaf collection policy.

This is exactly the kind of issue where public input matters. Brush and leaf collection may not be the most dramatic topic in local government, but it is a real service that affects daily life for many residents.

The proposal would shift leaf collection from the current March-through-December schedule to April-through-January. Leaf collection would remain a ten-month service.

Brush collection would see a larger change. Scheduled curbside brush collection would be reduced from ten months per year to five months: April, May, June, September, and October. Brush collection would no longer be scheduled in March, July, August, November, or December, although residents would still be able to drop off brush at the DPW facility throughout the year.

The Township has explained that these changes are intended to help DPW stay closer to the published schedule and allow crews to handle other important responsibilities, including street tree maintenance, pothole repair, roadside mowing, litter collection, street sweeping, and other public works needs.

That is a real issue worth discussing.

But the conversation should not simply be about whether people are “for” or “against” the proposed change.

It should be a broader conversation about what level of service residents reasonably expect, what our Department of Public Works can reliably deliver, and what rules are needed to make the program fair, practical, and sustainable.

Residents may want to share feedback about how often they use brush collection, which months matter most to their household, how storm cleanup should be handled, whether the drop-off option is practical, and what limits or rules should apply to curbside brush collection.

The most helpful comments will be the ones that explain how the proposed changes would affect your household, what parts of the proposal make sense, what concerns you, and what alternatives or adjustments you think should be considered.

Residents can submit feedback to the Township by July 15 at:

BrushandLeaf@westwindsortwp.gov

I wrote more about the proposal, the Township’s stated rationale, and the broader policy questions residents may want to consider here: danweissnj.com/post/brush-and-leaf-collection