Solid Waste expands Florence Rd. yard waste drop off to Saturdays

The City of Murfreesboro Solid Waste Department is pleased to announce that limb and brush drop off at the Public Works Facility on Florence Rd. is expanding to Saturdays from 7 a.m. to Noon, beginning Aug. 17, 2019.

Murfreesboro Citizens who prefer to remove their own grass clippings, limbs and brush rather than leave it curbside can utilize the Yard Waste Collection & Mulching Facility located at 4735 Florence Road, Murfreesboro, 37129.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, however, the Yard Waste Collection Facility will not be open Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019.

“We hope that expanding yard waste drop off to include Saturday mornings will provide another option for customers to process their yard waste without having to wait for curbside collection,” said Utility Enterprises Executive Director Darren Gore. “It’s one of many new initiatives the City is implementing to improve efficiencies and to help alleviate the backlog of brush, limb and yard waste.”

The Yard Waste Collection Facility is normally open for yard waste drop off Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Citizens dropping off yard waste are advised to follow a few simple guidelines before making a trip to Florence Road:

Brush longer than 10 feet in length or 8 inches in diameter is NOT accepted.
Biodegradable bags are accepted if they DO NOT have masking tape.
Dirt, rocks, mulch, plastic bags and stumps are NOT accepted.
Foreign debris such as lumber, household trash, and other types of debris are NOT accepted.

The Solid Waste Department recently developed a new interactive GIS map to show customers where yard waste has been picked up and where crews are anticipated in the future. Areas on the map in red indicate where service has been completed; areas in yellow indicate pick-up is currently in progress; areas in green denote where crews are anticipated soon. The interactive map is viewable on the City’s website at: http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/258/Yard-Waste-Collection.

“We hope that the progression and size of areas previously picked up and forecasted for service will continue to communicate to the public how Solid Waste is progressing across the City and offers some expectation on when we will get to your neighborhood,” added Gore.

In the current economy, the Solid Waste Department has experienced challenges in recruiting drivers with a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) needed to operate trash collection equipment and trucks for limb and brush pick-up. City Solid Waste collection drivers are required to have a CDL Class B license that is currently in high demand due to construction growth.

In response to the labor shortage, Solid Waste recently developed internal efficiencies to improve collection, including overtime and utilizing Street Department crews. Among other efficiencies utilized to help alleviate the backlog, Solid Waste previously advised the following:

• By mid-August one of the Solid Waste Department rear loader trucks (with a 2-man crew) will no longer be needed due to businesses and apartments “opting out” of City solid waste service. This crew can be moved to brush and limb pickup. More crews for limb and brush pickup should be gained as more businesses opt-out of City Solid Waste services.
• Brush and limb “lay down” areas (ex. Water Resources O&M facility on South Church Street) for limb and brush vehicles has been established to collect brush and limb at a location closer than the Florence Rd. Facility. This has cut down on travel time and allowed more efficient pick-up of limbs and brush.
• Staff intends to utilize an existing maintenance contract with Rollins Excavating to load and haul off the limb and brush accumulated at these lay down areas.

The Solid Waste Facebook page also keeps the public informed on the weekly cycle location for yard waste collection. Visit www.facebook.com/Murfreesboro-Solid-Waste-Department-326604987891147/. Residents can assist in making the process go more smoothly by following a few simple guidelines to improve service and efficiencies for the City and its customers.

• Place the tree limbs and brush parallel to the street.
• Make sure the yard waste is in one pile only instead of several piles.
• Don’t place brush longer than 10 feet in length or 8 inches in diameter.
• Don’t place foreign debris such as lumber, household trash, and other types of debris in your brush pile. It will NOT be picked up with such debris in the brush pile.
• Don’t place brush under low-lying power lines and cable lines to allow room for the boom to work.
• Don’t park a vehicle near the brush pile during daylight hours.

In order to best accommodate our citizens, please be mindful of the timing of placement of yard waste. Often our Solid Waste Department will pick up an entire street or subdivision, only to find the very next day it is covered with yard waste again. When this happens, it is inevitable that the yard waste will have to remain until the next pick-up cycle. Placing yard waste out by the curb immediately after Solid Waste crews pick it up will extend the time the yard waste resides on the property.

According to City Code Streets and Sidewalks Section 28-9-Obstructing streets or sidewalks, “It shall be unlawful for anyone to obstruct in any way any street, public place or sidewalk except as authorized by law . . .” A copy of the City’s Solid Waste Ordinance is available on the City website at http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/1545/Garbage-Collection-Procedures.

Only biodegradable paper bags are accepted for those residents who choose to bag yard trimmings. Residents are also asked to keep loose leaves separate from yard waste like brush

and limbs, and other yard trimming waste, because mixing them causes damage to the vacuum units and slows vacuum collection. Collected leaves and debris are trucked to Murfreesboro’s mulch site at 4765 Florence Rd., where the leaves are mulched.

For more information on Solid Waste collection, visit the department webpage at http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/1544/Solid-Waste or call 615-893-3681.