When it comes to this time of year, you don’t necessarily associate love with the Department of Public Works. And by working together, the residents of our great town and our staff here can develop and maintain a great relationship for many years to come.

Here are some helpful ways that we can foster that loving relationship.

Don’t Be Cold When It Comes To Snow

The snow we’ve gotten so far this year hasn’t equated to much; compared to last year’s winter weather, we might as well be living in Florida. But when our town is expecting snowfall of any significance, we love to get into our trucks to plow the roads so our residents can get from point A to point B. To help us spread, or in this case plow, the love around, here’s how residents can help the process along:

• Try and fit as many cars in your driveway as possible; this goes a long way to help make sure that the entire street gets plowed
• If you run out of places to park your car, try asking your neighbor to see if they’ll share a space; they’ll have less to shovel as a result: it’s a win-win
• For residents who live in the part of town where parking in a driveway is impossible, please park your cars on the same side of the road
• When shoveling out the driveway, please try and wait until Public Works plows your street before shoveling out the apron; if you don’t, the plow, through no fault of the driver, will push snow back up on your property and block you in
• Residents who live on corner properties are strongly encouraged to shovel out the handicap-accessible ramps adjacent to their property; the same goes for those who live right in front of a fire hydrant
• If you live next to a stormwater drain, try to shovel a path from the street to the drain so that water from melted snow doesn’t pool and turn into ice at the end of the street

The Trashy Part Of Our Relationship

We have a wonderful relationship with Waste Management, the company that handles the pickup of Pennsauken’s trash and recycling. To make trash and recycling collection go more smoothly, here are some ways to show some tokens of appreciation:

• Place your trash on your property at the curb, not in the street; this will help trash trucks and other vehicles to better navigate the streets
• To prevent “critters” from spreading garbage all over, place trash in galvanized or plastic cans that have handles and tight-fitting covers or use heavy-duty trash bags; and be sure that the bags or cans don’t way more than 50 lbs. when filled
• After your trash is collected, don’t leave your empty cans lying around the curb and street; as soon as you get home from work, try to bring the cans back to the house – you have until 8 p.m., but don’t wait until the last minute
• Flatten and bundle cardboard and paper for recycling, and crush cans before placing it in the recycling bin; by compacting your recyclables, you prevent overflow and spillage
• When it comes to yard waste, bag your leaves – it’s a quicker way to get them off your property and out of your hair; and please don’t use your recycling bucket for your grass
• Don’t forget to cut and bundle your sticks and branches into manageable bundles, no longer than three feet in length

Don’t Forget To Call

If you have a question, or if your trash isn’t picked up, don’t wait. We’d love to hear your voice. Call us at (856) 663-0178 and leave a message. We promise to call back as quickly as possible. You can even type us a love letter at publicworks@twp.pennsauken.nj.us or visit our “steamy” web page at http://twp.pennsauken.nj.us/pw/public-works-services.

Happy Valentine’s Day!