The City of Kentwood will once again offer its brush and leaf drop-off service for residents starting on Saturday, April 1.
Residents may drop off brush, sticks, tree limbs, logs, loose leaves and grass clippings at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE. Drop-off is available noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday through Friday, May 26. The site will be closed Sunday, April 9.
The service is available to Kentwood residents only and proof of residency is required, via a driver’s license or recent tax or water bill.
The following materials won’t be accepted:
trash
paper and plastic bags
dirt
concrete
asphalt
tires
rocks
stones
construction materials
glass
metal
“As the season of spring cleaning gets underway, we want to offer an easy, convenient way to help residents get rid of yard debris,” Public Works Director Chad Griffin said. “Winter weather can create debris in the public right-of-way that leads to clogged storm drains and roadways. Our brush and leaf drop-off service provides help with yard maintenance and keeps our community’s infrastructure operating reliably.”
In addition to making yard clean up easier, the leaf and brush drop-off service also helps residents stay in compliance with City ordinances. The accumulation of leaves and debris on a property or in the right-of-way is prohibited in the City of Kentwood, as well as burning leaves and brush.
More information about the City’s brush and leaf drop-off services is available at kentwood.us/BrushLeafDropOff.
Carlos Ochoa is aware of just how much a problem it is when leaves and yard waste are pushed into the street. A City of Wyoming Public Works employee, it is his job to clean the streets in the fall with the extra leaves creating extra trips to Wyoming’s yard waste drop off site.
“We pick up a lot of leaves especially this time of the year,” Ochoa said. “Starting right now, I go about one mile and then I have to unload and that is a five-yard truck that I have there.
“It is a safety issue, because during winter hours if we don’t get all the leaves picked up, the water will create puddles and then [that] will create ice, then [that] creates accidents. It’s a big problem.”
Public Works Assistant Director Aaron Vis said the leaves and grass clippings in the street have been a problem with city officials visiting about 60 properties every year. Because of safety concerns such as flooding caused when the leaves block the basins along with aesthetic issues — “no one wants to drive down a street with grass or leaves on it” according to Vis — last spring the Wyoming City Council put enforcement strength into its existing leaf policy to discourage leaves being placed in the streets.
“If we notice that you have placed grass or leaves in the street, we provide you with a notice and you have three business days to get it taken care of,” Vis said. “If it is not taken care of, the city has a contractor that we work with who will stop by, take care of it by removing it from the street and then you, the property owner, will be charge cost plus 100 percent. If the property owner fails to pay it, then that charge gets placed against the property on the tax rolls.”
The City of Wyoming has a yard waste disposal site for its residents.
The City of Wyoming offers a number of options for yard waste and leaf disposal. The first being the city’s Yard Waste Drop-Off Site. Located right next to the Public Works Faclity, 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW, the drop off site is open year round (except holidays) with hours being 7:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. December – March. To use the site, you need only bring ID or proof of residency.
“Over the last three years, we have averaged about 65,000 people who have used this site,” Vis said. “In an average year, we dispose of about 14,000 yards of wood chips, tree branches, and about 4,000-5,000 tons of leaves and grass clippings are collected.”
Another option to residents are the leaf containers.
Another disposal option is the leaf containers which are available as rentals to residents for $10 a weeknight and $20 for the weekend.
“The third option is on the first Saturday in December, the city has a contractor that comes through and picks up leaves from [residents’ properties] provided they are properly placed in a paper bag,” Vis said. This year’s curbside pickup is set for Dec. 2. All brush must be tied in bundles no longer than four feet and all yard waste must be placed on the curb by 6 a.m.
For more information about leaf disposal in the City of Wyoming, visit the city’s website and then go to the Public Works portion of that website. On the left side, there is a section called “All About Leaves.”
