City of Watertown to begin collecting yard waste

WATERTOWN, NY — The City of Watertown Department of Public Works will begin its seasonal, bi-weekly collection of brush and green waste from City residential homes this week. Collection of brush and green waste
will coincide with the recycling on your street.

A collection schedule by street can be found here at:
www.watertown-ny.gov. ; DEPARTMENTS; Public Works; Refuse & Recycling; Refuse/Recycle Pick-up Schedule.

— Brush and green waste can be placed in the median between the sidewalk and curb, or at the back of the sidewalk. Please do not block sidewalks
— Have brush and green waste placed out by 7:00 am the day of collection, following the guidelines below.

Collection Guidelines for Brush: (Tree limbs 4 inches in diameter and less, twigs & branches.)

— Tree limbs & branches cannot exceed 4 inches in diameter.
— Brush should be placed in bundles less than 18 inches in diameter (about an armful) and no longer than 5 feet in length.
— Smaller twigs and branches can also be placed in standard 32 gallon trash cans, preferably with handles and weighing less than 40 lbs.

Collection Guidelines for Green Waste: (Grass clippings, leaves, weeds, shrubbery and yard plants.)

— Green waste must be placed in bags or re-useable containers with the total weight not to exceed 40lbs, which will facilitate safer loading into our collection vehicles.
— Paper lawn debris bags and/or re-useable containers are preferred over plastic bags.
— Paper lawn bags and re-useable containers are available at most local vendors.
— There is no limit to the number of bags/containers that you can put curbside.

In an effort to increase collection efficiency and reduce the volume of plastic bag waste,

Effective July 1, 2019, green waste placed in plastic bags will no longer be accepted.

After July 1st, please use only paper lawn debris bags and/or reusable containers to discard green waste.

Contact the Department of Public Works at (315) 785-7842 with any questions.