By Joe Scavuzzo, Director of Pennsauken’s Department of Public Works
As a result of Monday’s storm, a significant amount of tree debris was left throughout our town. Our tree crew was out clearing blocked roads from trees where PSE&G wires were not involved.
Today begins the town-wide clean-up process. While the tree crew will handle the large limbs and trunks, the rest of the crews are split into each section of town, similar to when we plow snow. Their goal is to collect large branches that are from the street and lined at the curb. We ask our residents to take advantage of today’s cooler weather and perform some clean-up today due to tomorrow’s normally-scheduled Yard Debris Collection Day throughout town.
Residents with minor debris should use the approved methods for placing yard debris out:
- Firewood-sized limbs: stack at the curb and contact the Public Works office for pick up.
- Small branches: Cut down to 4 foot lengths, bundled with twine, weighing less than 50 lbs.
- Leaves and Twigs: Place in bag or trash can, weighing less than 50 lbs.
As a reminder: for insurance reasons, Department of Public Works employees will not remove trees from private property other than what can be reached from the curb. During a storm recovery such as this event, we will chip a large branch that a homeowner can get to the street within the week. Please do not use this time to trim trees and drop all debris at the curb. This debris should be tied and bundled as mentioned above. Due to the time it takes to collect, process, and dispose of this material, we ask for your patience as we work through town. The large jobs from Monday night will be closed out first to ensure roadways are passable for emergency vehicles. We will then focus on the areas with heavy debris. Between all of our efforts, and using South Jersey Sanitation’s collection route tomorrow (Wednesday), we can get back to normal operations in a timely manner.
Pennsauken’s Department of Public Works can be reached by calling 856-663-0178 or emailing us at PublicWorks@twp.pennsauken.nj.us. Our hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
