In spite of the snow on Wednesday, spring is here and as temperatures warm, many residents will turn their attention to cleaning up their yards and tidying their property.
The City of Kewanee is ready with information to ensure that residents have everything they need to make the process easier. Here is just some information the city provides to residents with questions about services offered that will make for an easier springtime clean up.
There are some dos and don’ts when it comes to landscape waste, specifically on items that can be placed in the landscape waste bags.
What items can go in the bags?
Grass and weed clippings
Flowers
Garden vegetables and fruits
Tomato and bean vines
Corn husks and corn cobs
Sod/dirt
Walnuts and acorns
What items can’t be put in the bags?
Landscape fabric and timbers
Plastic material/bags
Rocks, wire and any metal items
Bottles and cans of any kind
Paper and cardboard
Dead animals and animal waste
In addition, the landscape waste bag must be the generic, biodegradable Kraft paper bags that are intended to be used for landscape waste. Residents can purchase bags at a retailer of their choice. A $1 City of Kewanee Excess Bag sticker must be affixed to each bag in order to be collected. Stickers are available at city hall, both Beck’s on Second and Tenney streets, Farm King, JoJo’s, CVS, Shell, Sullivan Foods, Casey’s and Walmart.
Bags are picked up on Mondays between the third Monday in March and the first Monday in December, unless a holiday falls during that week. Bags should be set out on the curb Sunday night and you can place an unlimited amount of bags as long as stickers are applied.
Small limbs and sticks placed in the bags can’t be longer than a foot and a half or larger than 1. 5 inches in diameter.
For residents who plan to trim shrubs or prune trees or for those residents that have accumulated an abundance of fallen branches over the winter, the city offers bulk brush pickups.
Bulk brush pickups are scheduled for Tuesdays and the city has a code that pertains to the bulk brush that reads: A pickup truck load of bulk brush is 2 cubic yards (3’ by 3’ by 6’). Tree branches and trunks cannot exceed 4” in diameter but may be split for pickup. Branches may not exceed 5’ in length and must all be stacked going in the same direction.
Bulk brush stickers are sold at city hall, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stickers are $5 for a small load, (less than 2 cubic yards) and $10 for each load of 2 cubic yards.
Stickers must be purchased at city hall prior to scheduling for pickup, and the brush must be placed on the curb. The city will not pick up brush located in alleys.
Burn days are Wednesday and Saturday in the months of April, May, June, September, October and November with weather permitting. Residents can check the burn day status at www.cityofkewanee.com or phone (309) 852-2611 and press #6 after 8 a.m. for burn day information.
Spring isn’t only for yard work. Many residents take advantage of the warm weather to clean out garages and sheds and declutter their homes. The city also offers solutions for disposing of large items that residents don’t want any longer. Here are a few ways to dispose of accumulated junk.
The City of Kewanee does offer a service to remove resident’s large unwanted items. There are certain items the city hauls away for residents and certain items they don’t.
The city will not haul off tires or electronics, but will collect items such as furniture and carpet weighing under 500 pounds.
White goods, such as refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers are also allowed, but those items must have the Freon or other regulated gas removed by a person certified in removal of those gases and be affixed with a sticker certifying that Freon was removed. That sticker needs to be affixed before pickup.
In addition, any large items with a door must be modified so that the door doesn’t shut or the door must be removed prior to placing it at the curb.
Large items will be collected on Mondays only, excluding observed holidays. The cost for pickup is a tag charge of $10. Two large items may be picked up, free of charge using your transfer station coupon. The items must be placed at the curb and each item collected must have a separate tag.
The City of Kewanee recently alerted residents that this month’s April/May water bill will include a free pass to the transfer station of items up to 1,500 pounds.
The transfer station, located at 194 Fisher Ave., is open Monday through Friday from 7am to 3pm It’s closed daily for lunch from 11 to 11:30 a.m.
The following items are not accepted at the transfer station:
White goods such as stoves, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, water softeners, room air conditioners
Electronics of any kind.
Toxic materials such as liquid paint, cleaning solvents, motor oil or batteries
Tires
Landscape waste, dirt, tree branches, leaves, grass clippings
Slate siding and shingles
Concrete, brick, masonry, railroad ties
The following items are accepted at the transfer station:
Building materials, siding shingles, windows, wood
Household items, furniture, mattresses, box springs, carpet, toilets
Junk metal
Humidifiers or dehumidifiers (must have Freon or other regulated gas removed prior to pickup by a person certified in removal of such gases and a sticker must be affixed)
Small household electronics with motors and without green circuit boards: coffee makers, fans, toasters, vacuums, sump pumps
Miscellaneous junk and trash
Every year the city offers a convenient drive-thru service for residents to drop off their junk. This year’s City Wide Clean Up Day is set for Saturday, June 1 from 7 a.m. to noon. The rain date will be held on the following Saturday, June 8.
The following items will not be accepted during clean up day:
Electronic items
Toxic materials
Liquid paint
Cleaning solvents
Motor oil
Batteries
Liquid of any sort
Tires
Landscape waste
Slate siding
Shingles
Concrete, brick, masonry, railroad ties
Construction or demolition materials, roofing materials
The following items will be accepted:
Mattresses, furniture, yard furniture
Water heaters
Appliances
Metal junk items
Scrap wood
Paint with lids removed (use cat litter to dry up the paint)
Carpet
Toilets
Miscellaneous junk/trash that may be cluttering up your yard or has been stashed behind the garage or shed that residents might have been putting off hauling to the transfer station
The clean up event is offered only for Kewanee residents and anyone dropping off trash will need to have a utility bill and photo ID. The clean up drive-thru will take place in the parking lot of the green space on Elliot Street. Residents are asked to enter on to Elliott Street from West Prospect Street and drive south on Elliott Street before turning West on West Division Street.
Anyone dropping off is asked to have their utility bill and ID ready. Once your ID is verified, you will be able to proceed to the clean-up area lot to empty your vehicle into a trash container. Vehicles should exit the parking lot from Pine Street.
