Opening day is a big deal at Port Washington city yard

Thursday, April 1, is opening day — at the Port Washington city yard.

Residents who have been collecting yard waste can begin to bring it down to the yard on Moore Road for disposal from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Those dropping off items must bring proof of residency to get a sticker that can be posted in their car window for admission throughout the season — this year’s features a yellow sailboat.

There will likely be a line of cars when the yard opens, Street Commissioner DJ Hoile said.

“Spring is definitely our busiest time of year. Everyone’s trying to clean up their yards,” he said. 

The yard accepts all sorts of yard waste — everything except woody materials, such as sticks larger than one inch in diameter, Hoile said. That’s because at the end of the season Liesener Topsoil of Jackson brings in a tub grinder at no cost to the city and grinds up what is typically a mountain of yard waste that it uses for topsoil. 

Branches turn into wood chips and aren’t desirable, Hoile said.

Bagged yard waste is accepted, but residents should remove the items from the bags, he added. There is a garbage can on site for the bags.

But the city yard collects a lot more than just yard waste. There’s a pile for clean dirt, one for asphalt and a third for concrete — something a surprising number of people bring in, Hoile said, adding contractors aren’t allowed to drop off debris, only residents.

There’s also an area where residents can drop off stumps — they aren’t picked up during curbside brush collection — and there’s a barrel designated for used motor oil.

The city also has two dumpsters at the yard, one designated for cardboard and the other for invasive species, such as garlic mustard — that dumpster got plenty of use last year as people stayed home during the  pandemic, Hoile said.

The people staffing the gate at the yard have fliers directing residents where they can get rid of such items as paint, car batteries, tires and appliances, Hoile said.

The city has piles of wood chips inside and outside the gate at the street department, and residents can pick up these chips to use in their yards.

Brush will be picked up at the curb beginning the week of April 26 and continues on alternate weeks until May 24, when the summer crew begins work. It will be held weekly through Aug. 30, then returns to an alternate week schedule from Sept. 17 to Oct. 11.

Hoile asked that residents put brush in manageable piles.

“There are times we pull up and there’s  a 20-foot pile that’s four feet high, and we have to try to untangle it,” he said, something that’s difficult for crews.

Twigs and small brush can be placed in a container and left at the curb, Hoile said, noting that makes it easier for crews to toss it in the chipper.

Hoile noted that the city won’t collect brush left if a resident has a contractor take down a tree.

“The contractor is responsible for that,” he said.

Brush collection, he added, isn’t meant for large-scale removal.

“It’s meant for trimmings and small projects,” Hoile said.