BRUSH, TRASH & LIMB POLICY

1. Tree trimmings and shrubbery cuttings shall be placed near the curb or street.  All tree trunks must be cut in three (3) foot lengths and be no more than two (2) feet in diameter.  Anything larger will not be picked up.  Removal of stumps will be left to the brush truck operators’ discretion.

2. Leaves and pine straw should be put in containers or bags to be removed with limb pickup from April through October of each year.  Mulched leaves and grass clippings must be bagged for pickup by the brush truck year-round.  The leaf vacuum machines will run from November through January each year.  After that date, leaves will be picked up in bags only.

3. Contractors – If residents contract the cutting of any trees, it is the responsibility of the contractor to dispose of the debris.

4. Residential – Each residence shall be allowed one truckload of trees/brush per month.  Should a resident have more than one truckload of brush in any one month, the owner must cause the additional debris to be removed, or pay a fee to the City to dispose of any consecutive load(s); additional loads will be picked up according to the operators’ routes.

5. Building debris:  Plaster, lumber, roofing, concrete and brick resulting from the repairs or demolition of any building will not be moved.  The property owner must cause this waste to be removed.

6. Dead animals:  Dogs, cats, etc. will be removed from public rights-of-way; cattle, horses, etc., will be removed by the owner at the owner’s expense.

7. We also provide a ONE TIME pickup of moving boxes for new residents.

           The Public Works Department now also operates the Brush Recycling Program: 

• If you live within the City limits of Gardendale and have brush or trash ready for pickup, call our office at 631-3394.  Our office personnel fill out brush tickets with the caller’s name and address and forward the tickets to the brush truck drivers.  These tickets help us determine the location and volume of debris to be picked up.
• We generally operate two brush trucks each weekday.  The City is divided into two districts:  (1.) East of Highway 31 and (2.) West of Highway 31;  the Eastern route begins at Leslie Lane in South Gardendale and runs northward to Ward Road;  the Western route begins at Garrett Road and runs southward to Jamestown Manor on Main Street.
• We dispose of the debris at the site behind the soccer fields on Fieldstown Road.  Two to three times per year, the brush is ground into chips and recycled into an environmentally safe fuel for paper mills in south Alabama.
• We also keep a small stockpile of the chips for residents’ use if they so desire.  If anyone would like to have any of these chips, call our office for permission to enter the site, and we will have someone meet you there to assist you.