Danville Public Works Department and Ikea/Republic Services crews collected an extra 276 tons of mixed debris during the fourth annual “Make Danville Shine” campaign, a month-long effort held in May.
Residents who arranged for the use of debris trailers or simply placed piles of mixed debris at their curbside for pickup by the city’s grapple “bucket” trucks generated the extra tonnage.
Public Works crews collected 184 tons from 682-bucket truck pickups and 48 tons from 43 debris trailers reserved by residents. Ikea and Republic Services, which participated for the second consecutive year, collected 44 tons from the 35 debris trailers it provided this year.
The “Make Danville Shine” campaign encourages every citizen to focus on maintenance, upkeep and beautification of their property and to assist neighbors who may not be able to do so due to age or disability.
In support of the cleanup campaign, the Public Works Department made available by reservation its 18 cubic-yard debris trailers at no charge. It also allowed oversized piles of separated yard waste and household debris to be placed at residential curbside for collection at no charge. Of the 682 total piles of debris collected, 263 were oversized piles.
The department in May also waived the cost of tire disposal for up to four tires per household, and it waived restrictions on construction and demolition debris for the month.
Crews collected 1,315 tires, 22 piles of rock, brick and other heavy debris, and 13 appliances.
In total, the department received 1,430 service requests during the month of May.
Public Works returned to enforcement of the standard solid waste regulations that were waived during the Make Danville Shine campaign. Residential properties are allowed up to four large bulk debris items per week. All small debris and household waste/garbage generated by a household needs to be in an approved container, which is a trash can that has an attached lid making it watertight, has a dump bar so it is able to be hydraulically dumped, and has wheels for mobility.
In declaring May as “Make Danville Shine Month,” Mayor Sherman Saunders pointed out that it is the intangible things like a clean community that make a difference in promoting business growth and the community as a whole.
The city kicked off the month by providing expertise in home improvement and lawn care at an expo held on May 7 at the Community Market. Nearly 20 vendors in the fields of landscaping, painting, roofing, siding, masonry, electrical, plumbing and pest control attended the expo, which this year again was held in conjunction with the opening of the Farmers Market.
The annual cleanup campaign involves simple steps that every resident can do around their house, such as clean the gutters, paint the exterior, landscape the yard and clear their property of weeds, vines and overgrowth.