City Solid Waste continues to remove debris following storm damage

Apr 14, 2015 at 11:51 am by bryan


The double-whammy ice and snow storms that hit Middle Tennessee in late February and early March still linger in some parts of Murfreesboro.

The Solid Waste Department continues to haul away tree limbs and brush that is taking longer than expected due to the abnormally high volume.

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"We continue to ask residents to be patient as crews work their way throughout the City," said Solid Waste Director Joey Smith. "We realize some neighborhoods still have storm debris along the curbside and we hope to have it all removed by the end of April."

In March, Solid Waste Knuckle boom trucks collected 1,270 tons of brush in 491 loads. That's more than 2.5 million pounds of yard waste. By comparison to a year ago, K-boom trucks picked-up just 831 tons of brush in 386 loads in March 2014. From April 1st - April 10th of this year, boom trucks have collected an additional 151 tons in 61 loads.

Solid Waste employs a total of 38 solid waste drivers. Seven of those workers are assigned to K-boom trucks to haul away brush throughout the City limits. The K-booms pick-up brush on a normal 4-day a week schedule from safe light until 4 p.m.

Over a normal 14 to 21 day cycle, the K-boom drivers will make their way through every neighborhood in the City to clear debris from the edge of streets. 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 debris is in one pile only instead of several piles.
  • Don't place brush longer than 10 feet in length.
  • 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.

"Normally, we have brush picked up in less than 28 days," added Smith. "But to work through all the ice-damaged tree limbs, we have needed extra time to cover everyone."

Residents are asked to place debris within five to 10 feet of the street so the K-booms can reach them. Limbs should not be placed too far out in the street since this causes traffic hazards and potential drainage problems.

Only biodegradable paper bags are accepted for those residents who choose to bag leaves. Residents are also asked to keep loose leaves separate form yard waste like brush, debris and limbs, 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.

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