City Of Fulton Opens New Yard Waste Drop Site For Residents

FULTON – City of Fulton residents now have an additional option available for disposing of their leaves and brush when they tidy up their lawns this spring. 

Residents may now bring accepted materials to the city’s new yard waste drop site, located at the Department of Public Works garage – 17 Edgarton Dr., Fulton. This program is meant only for city residents and is completely free of charge. 

This drop site has been around three years in the making with a collaboration of the city’s common council, DPW Commissioner CJ Smith, the late Mayor Ronald Woodward and Mayor Deana Michaels. 

“While we will continue to pick up yard waste at various times throughout the year we have enhanced the services to provide a 24/7, secured and monitored site for use by any resident of the city,” Michaels said. “I want to give a shout out to the DPW team who worked hard to have this site ready by April 1.”

One of the biggest advocates for this drop site has been Third Ward Councilor Don Patrick Jr. According to Patrick, his ward has typically generated a considerable amount of yard waste, especially this past year during the pandemic as more residents had extra time to work on their lawns.

He said this has created some problems across the city, including leaves being raked into the roads and plugging up storm catch basins after it rains. Then, once the sanitation crew cleans out the basins, it is only a matter of time before they become plugged up again. 

“I think by opening up this drop spot at the DPW, that may alleviate a lot of problems because people get impatient, and I understand,” Patrick said.

He said he also understands residents’ frustration if leaves are not picked up in a timely fashion because it can damage the grass underneath the piles of yard waste. 

Other concerns Patrick has include when large piles of leaves are raked into the road, it can turn a two-way street into a one-way street, and the worry of children playing in those piles in the road and getting hit by a car.

“[The drop site] been a long time coming and we’re very happy to get this instituted… We’re going to be very patient with everyone for the first year or so just to try to educate people,” Patrick said. “We’ve been working on it for three to four years – the yard waste policy – with the expertise of the DPW commissioner, because he’s been involved since day one, and also the mayor [Woodward and Michaels].”

DPW crews will continue leaf pickups in the spring and fall, but unless there is extreme weather, will not be doing pickups in July and August, which Commissioner Smith said typically generates the least amount of yard waste.

“People tend not to put that much out [during July and August], so we end up going through the city very quickly during those months, and it almost becomes redundant,” Smith said. “The months outside of that is very heavy.”

Instead, this frees up more time for the DPW workforce to spend on other projects around the city during those months, which Smith said is prime construction time.

For leaf pickups, Smith said the city encourages residents to use brown paper bags or metal or plastic containers rather than plastic bags. For trimmed tree branches less than 8 inches in diameter and shrubbery can be placed in a pile that does not obstruct the sidewalk or in the road.

“Plastic bags are allowed, but we strongly discourage these plastic bags because it creates more waste for the city, and additional expenses to dispose of it,” Smith said. “We’re asking residents to please make every effort to utilize brown paper bags and/or metal or plastic containers.”

Drop site details:

• Location is open and available to city residents 24/7 and is monitored by security cameras. There will be no staffing at the location.
• Contractors are not permitted to use this drop site. 
• Accepted materials: leaves, grass clippings, garden waste, shrubs, tree limbs (8 inches in diameter), Christmas trees, stumps, sod, brown paper bags.
• Materials that will not be accepted: garbage, plastic bags, appliances, hazardous materials, electronics, furniture, construction materials, landscape timbers, fill materials, concrete, stone, brick.
• Empty and take all plastic bags or containers with you when you leave. 
• Illegal dumping is subject to a minimum of $500. 
• City of Fulton is not liable for damages resulting from the use of the dump site. 

Leaf pickup schedule:

• Spring: Begins first week of April through the fourth week of June.
• There will be no leaf pickup in July or August unless it is warranted by extreme weather.
• Fall: Begins first week of September through December 1. 
• Christmas trees will be picked up through the holiday season.

Another option is the Bristol Hill Landfill located at 3125 State Route 3, Fulton, which accepts brush under 6 inches in diameter and wood chips free of charge.

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