The Murfreesboro Solid Waste Department expects to haul away more brush in February and early March than an entire quarter as a result of the February ice storm that brought down tree limbs throughout the City.

"By the end of February, 15,000 tons of brush and tree limbs left on the edge of City streets will be hauled away," said City Solid Waste Director Joey Smith. "That's tonnage we normal pick-up during an entire quarter."

Solid Waste employs a total of 38 solid waste drivers. Seven of those workers are assigned to Knuckle 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.

"Starting Monday, March 2, brush hauling crews will begin hitting East Main Street out to Manchester Highway and on to Rutherford Boulevard," said Smith. "This is an area with a lot of larger and older trees, including pines, damaged by the recent storm."

Over the 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.

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.

"If customers place their brush, debris and limbs on the edge of the street today, we should have it picked up in less than 28 days," added Smith. "Many may see debris moved much sooner than that time-span but to work through all the ice-damaged tree limbs, we will need a little more extra time to cover everyone."

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.

For more information on Solid Waste collection, visit the department webpage at http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/Index.aspx?NID=256 or call 615-893-3681.