Sanitation department preparing for cleanup week in Jamestown
May 4—JAMESTOWN — The city of Jamestown's sanitation department is preparing the top of the hill at the baling facility for citywide residential curbside cleanup week May 13-18, according to Shawn O'Neill, sanitation foreman.
He said the top of the hill is being prepared for more vehicles to come through and more material that will be collected by city workers.
"It's pretty soggy back there so we are trying to come up with different areas where I think we will be able to get everybody in the dump in case it does rain," O'Neill said.
The following is the schedule when items will be picked up during cleanup week:
* Monday, May 13: southeast
* Tuesday, May 14: southwest
* Wednesday, May 15: northwest
* Thursday, May 16: northeast
City workers picked up 166 tons of material during the citywide cleanup week last year. In 2022, the city collected about 213 tons of material.
O'Neill said it rained during cleanup week in 2022 and that resulted in some of the materials weighing more. But he said a decrease in materials is a good thing.
"You don't want to ever see an increase," he said.
During cleanup week, items should be set on the roadway close to the curb or shoulder. The materials must be out by 7 a.m. on the designated day.
All items left at a property after the city truck collects accepted items are the property owner's responsibility to clean up. Trucks will not return to collect any remaining items once the route is complete.
There will be extended hours at the city baler and landfill during cleanup week. Hours will be from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Each household is also allowed to dispose of up to 500 pounds of material at no cost. The residents must show proof of residency such as a utility bill.
O'Neill said lithium batteries should not be in piles where workers can't see them. Lithium batteries have caused garbage bales to catch on fire at the city baler.
"I prefer to keep them out of the inert landfill," O'Neill said.
He said residents should pound nails down or remove them from any wood. He said the nails could cut a worker and cause an infection.
"Last year, I came across a lot of trim around doors and around the baseboard thrown out and a lot of them had these big 2-inch nails sticking out of them," he said.
O'Neill also said piles larger than a regular pickup box will not be picked up.
"Last year there were ... some pretty big piles out there," he said.
Items that are accepted include:
* materials in neat, separate piles of similar materials so crews can easily collect.
* basic household items such as furniture, toys and mattresses.
* small-scale building, remodeling, landscaping debris, lumber, carpet and padding, wall board, tile, doors, windows, gutters, fencing, non-creosoted landscaping timbers and brick pavers.
* wood, lumber, fencing and non-creosoted landscaping timbers, which should be broken apart and tied in bundles less than 4 feet long and weigh less than 50 pounds.
* carpeting and padding that must each be rolled, tied and no longer than 8 feet.
Items that are not accepted include: large quantities of clothing and linens or bags of any kind, cardboard, household garbage, yard waste, appliances, electronics, automotive products, vehicle parts, large-scale debris, paint, solvents, thinners, primers, varnishes, stains, bio-medical waste, power lawn mowers, propane tanks, gas cans with any contents and metal unless it is a part of a material that will be picked up.
For more information on cleanup week, visit
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