MUSCATINE, Iowa – The City of Muscatine has deployed every piece of equipment and every employee available to complete pick up of unwanted items left on the curb from the city’s annual spring cleanup effort.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) has every dump truck, end loader, and back hoe deployed manned by 13 full time employees and eight temporary employees working to collect the unwanted items. However, the process has been slow due to the volume of material placed along the curb by city residents.
Normally during Spring Cleanup Week, DPW crews would follow the refuse collection trucks on their routes through the city collecting the unwanted items left by residents next to their refuse containers on their collection days. This has not been a normal pickup.
“There were a lot of larger items that needed the end loader or back hoe to lift them into the dump truck,” Brian Stineman, DPW Director, said. “That put us behind schedule but we are continuing our efforts this week and into next week if we have to.”
Crews are working to finish the Tuesday refuse collection routes today (April 30) and proceed to the Wednesday collection routes.
Solid Waste crews have also been picking up unwanted items at the same time the DPW crews have been collecting.
“Whenever our staff can put items into one of our rear packer trucks they do,” Kristi Korpi, Solid Waste Manager, said. “They cannot put everything into them but they collect what they can.”
Refuse and recycling collection will continue their normal routes according to Korpi while helping with spring cleanup efforts when possible.
Korpi would also like to remind residents that they are still able to take five electronic devices and up to eight car tires or small truck tires to the Recycling Center & Transfer Station FREE of charge for the next six days. Some items that are not permitted to be collected curbside have an orange sticker placed on them to inform the residents the items need to be taken to the Recycling Center & Transfer Station for disposal.
“This is a service that will be free to residents through noon on Saturday,” Korpi said. “After that there is a fee for disposal.”
The Transfer Station and Recycling Center is open 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. Items brought to the Center through Saturday will not be charged a fee.
ADDITIONAL PICKUPS AVAILABLE
City of Muscatine and Fruitland residents that have refuse collection services from the city of Muscatine have three (3) large pick-ups per year at NO CHARGE. This includes such items as large furniture, extra bags of trash beyond the City of Muscatine’s issued carts, and miscellaneous items. There are some items that may not be collected due to the nature of materials such as drywall, flooring, fencing, etc.
Curbside pickup of large items such as chairs, couches, etc., can be arranged by phone at the Muscatine Recycling Center and Transfer Station (563-263-9689). Items are picked up on regular scheduled garbage collection days. Please call before 3:30 p.m. the day before your collection day to make arrangements for curbside pickup of large items.
Appliances, electronic waste, tires should be taken to the Recycling Center and Transfer Station for disposal. There is a fee charged for disposal of these items but that fee is waived up to noon on Saturday, May 5.