By Gari Voss
Correspondent
Communities across Allegan County are discovering unwanted items in yards and along streets and roads. To assist in the clean up process, many cities and townships allow residents to take advantage of a variety of services. These opportunities are not intended for daily household trash and garbage pickup or recycling, but they can be extremely helpful in clearing away winter blight.
City of Allegan Spring Spruce Up
The City of Allegan began Spring Spruce Up on April 4, 2022. Until June 3rd, residents can take advantage of several services.
Brush and leaves can be raked to within 3 feet of the edge of the street. Do not place the piles near an obstruction such as a utility pole, guy-wires, hydrants, mailboxes or other permanent structure. Do not include trash, brush that exceeds 4” in diameter, vines, building materials, stumps or roots. The vacuum must be able to reach the debris. Each week, vacuum trucks will clear streets around the city.
Waste and recycling can be hauled to the Public Works facility at 691 Airway Drive. Items must be clean. Bring proof of being a City resident. Dumpsters will be open Saturday, April 16th from 8am-3:30 pm; Monday, April 18th to Friday, April 22nd from 7am-2:30pm; and Saturday, April 23rd from 8am-3:30pm.
Do not throw household garbage, asphalt, roofing shingles, hazardous household waste, leftover paint, flammables, cement, brick, or stone.
For more information, please contact the City of Allegan at 269.673.5511 or visit the City of Allegan’s Facebook Page for updates.
Allegan Township
Allegan Township residents can deposit unwanted items in the containers at the Allegan Township Hall, 3037 118th Ave. on Saturday, April 16th and Saturday, May 21st from 9am-1pm. This is on a first come, first served basis. Be sure to rinse all containers, leaving on caps, breakdown cardboard boxes, check recycling symbols and numbers on plastic, respect recycling station and property.
Do not bring styrofoam, food or soiled materials in containers and no hazardous waste (engine oil, pesticide, paint, etc.), no large plastic items (lawn chairs, five gallon buckets, etc., no clothes). This site is under video surveillance.
City of Otsego
The City of Otsego offers brush pickup on the first Tuesday of each month, but branches must be less than 5 inches in diameter. Place brush by the curb on Sunday or Monday evening. Trash pickup occurs on the first Thursday of each month if placed at the curb in two or three small bags or boxes. Recycling occurs on the first and third Tuesday of each month, but Best Way must be called at 800 950-5519 to request a cart.
Large items that do not fit in bags or bins must be taken to the City Transfer Station on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays between 9 and 11:45am or 1 and 3:45pm. There is no charge for recyclable items.
Otsego Township
April 11, 2022 is set for bulk trash pickup. Place items that are no heavier than 2 men can pick up at the curb on Sunday night, April 10th. Acceptable items include appliances, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, furniture, bed frames and mattresses, bicycles, carpets and pads (dry, rolled & tied), grills with propane tank removed, lawn mowers (drain the gas & oil), latex paint cans with no lids, doors and windows out of frame and in a taped box marked “broken glass”, plus toilets, vacuum cleaners and small bundles of wood less than 4’ and no nails.
City of Plainwell
The City of Plainwell contracts with Republic Services for a May and October curbside pickup of bulk items. Republic requests that items be placed at the curbside after 3pm on Friday or by dawn on Monday. Acceptable items include covered mattresses, furniture, toys, kitchen appliances with doors removed, latex paint, small building materials such as doors or fencing that are cut to fit in the truck, small car parts, and manageable bundles and containers. Streets are cleared only once.
City of Fennville
The city will collect small yard waste (leaves and sticks) Brush Pickup on the first Monday of the month. Brush must be in paper bags for collection. Dickinson True Value will have bags for sale.
Other Townships
Many townships operate recycling or transfer stations year round. A weekly schedule is followed for recyclable and non-recyclable materials. Each has a process for larger items.
Regional Recycling
For residents of Allegan County, there are additional opportunities to dispose of unwanted items. On the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month, Salem Township Transfer Station (4145 29th St.), Allied Waste/Republic Recycling Station (3310 M-40, Hamilton) and Broken Arrow Recycling (1100 Lincoln Rd., Allegan) will take up to 4 tires, styrofoam, 2 appliances, a TV/Computer, and metal each year.
Broken Arrow will take vehicle batteries. Allegan Township Hall has a bucket for small batteries at the front entrance. Rosemary Graham (269 686-4559) at the Allegan County Health Department will take appointments for Household Hazardous Waste – pesticides, oil-based paints, automotive liquids, cleaners, aerosols, compressed gas cylinders, mercury thermometers, CFL and fluorescent bulbs, along with batteries.
