A place to take yard waste, tree branches

Dates, format announced for annual drop-off program

Madison Township will use the same system as last year in conducting its 2021 drop-off program for yard waste and branch chipping.

Trustees recently approved the schedule for the program, which takes place on 13 different Saturdays from April through November. The event is open to Madison Township and Village residents only.

“As was done in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to operate our yard waste/chipper drop-off differently than in prior years,” Trustee Kenneth Gauntner Jr. said in a Facebook post.

The drop-off site is located at the Madison Township Service Department, 1747 Hubbard Road, behind Madison Fire District Station No. 2.

Anyone who drives into the event must be able to remove bags of yard waste or branches from their vehicles by themselves.

“To comply with social distancing requirements, Madison Township Service Department employees will not assist you in unloading your vehicle,” Gauntner said.

The workers will direct people to where they need to deposit their bags of yard waste or branches, Gauntner added.

The self-service dropoff system worked well last year when it was used for an entire season, said township Service Department Supervisor Paul Cook.

“Lines were down and we were able to keep everything moving a lot smoother,” Cook said during the March 9 trustees’ meeting. “Plus staffing then is only two-man staffing. So it saves us in the long run on overtime.”

This year’s yard waste and branch-chipping dropoff sessions take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the following Saturdays: April 10 and 24; May 8 and 22; June 12 and 26; July 17; Aug. 7 and 28; Sept. 18; Oct. 9 and 30; and Nov. 13.

Trustee Max Anderson Jr. wondered if the township should have put in an extra session in the early spring because of so many yard cleanups taking place.

However, Cook said the 2021 schedule already features one additional dropoff day compared with last year’s lineup.

“April, May and June all have two days,” Cook said. “Last year, the schedule worked out to be only one day in May, so I kind of tweaked it a little bit to get an extra day in the spring for this year’s cleanup.”

Cook said the township also could add another drop-off date toward the end of the season, if weather conditions are favorable. Anderson liked having that option available during a time when a lot of residents are clearing fallen leaves from their yards.

Types of yard waste that will be accepted at this year’s drop-off sessions in Madison Township are sticks and brush; leaves; weeds; grass clippings; garden cleanup materials; and dead flowers and plants. Examples of things that cannot be dropped off are railroad ties, metals, plastics; tires; and scrap lumber and building materials.

Acceptable items must be deposited into paper lawn bags or garbage cans labeled as yard waste, according to an announcement on the township’s website.

The township will not accept yard waste delivered in plastic garbage bags, or vegetation piled loosely into the beds of pickup trucks, Gauntner added in his Facebook post. He also said that the township’s chipping machine can chip a limb or branch up to 8 inches in diameter.

The drop-off sessions for yard waste and tree-branch chipping are not open to contractors, and no material may be left when an attendant is not on duty.