City of Boulder issued the following announcement on Oct. 16.
Since Sept. 18, the city has been working with its contractor, Custom Tree Care, to perform the collection from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
The collection is still in progress and will likely last a few more weeks. The damage caused by the storm was severe, resulting in the worst impact to trees the city has seen since 1995. Contractors have a shortage of equipment and reduced availability of trucks to support the clean-up due to many disasters throughout the country ranging from fires in the west to hurricanes in the south. Because of this, the collection is taking longer than originally anticipated.
The city is asking for the community’s assistance to help expedite the process. The community should be aware that staff know where all the remaining piles are located through daily assessment and inspection and are directing the contractor to visit the locations that remain as quickly as possible. To prepare, residents should collect and place limbs and branches curbside, either against the curb or on the landscaping strip next to the street and know that the crews will be there soon. Due to the high volume of calls from residents, staff are asking neighbors to visit the website for more information and only call if a specific, detailed question remains.
“We recognize the challenges this storm and the resulting debris has caused our community and we thank the community for their patience during this collection,” said Parks & Recreation Director Ali Rhodes. “Our crews have been working diligently and will continue the collection until it is complete.”
Here are a few additional tips for a smooth pickup:
- Avoid parking near piles to ensure easy access for trucks and do not allow cars to block piles along the curb.
- It is helpful for neighbors to combine individual piles into bigger piles, which means fewer pickup stops for collection trucks.
- Debris should be placed as close to the curb as possible for easy access to pick up from the street. The debris pile should not block the flow of traffic in the roadway. Collection will not occur in the alley ways due to the tight and constrained corridors.
- Bike and pedestrian lanes and paths must be kept clear, and traffic flow should not be impeded.
- Only tree debris will be collected. Nonorganic materials, including plastic bags, treated or painted lumber or household materials will NOT be picked up because all collected debris will be composted.
- Community members that wish to expedite the process can consider cutting and bundling debris according to your waste management hauler’s guidelines and put out on compost pick-up day.
- Please call the city (303-441-3200) only with specific questions about storm debris collection. However, staff do not have information about the specific timing or location of pick-ups. If you wish to specify a location for pickup, leave a voicemail with your address. Calls to specify locations for pickup will not be returned.
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