City of Rhinelander sets fall yard waste pickup for Oct. 26 to Nov. 5

The City of Rhinelander’s annual fall yard cleanup program runs from Monday, Oct. 26, through Thursday, Nov. 5. City crews will pick up leaves and brush that residents put at the curb.

To be guaranteed a pickup, residents must have brush and bagged leaves at the curb between 6 a.m. Oct. 26 and 4 p.m. Nov. 5. The city asks residents to put items out early, because crews may collect yard waste before a given area’s scheduled cleanup day. Residents who miss the deadline will have to haul their yard waste and brush to the Public Works Garage, 644 Washington St. The garage is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The service is for city residents who keep up their own yards. It does not cover residential tree removal contractors, vacant lots being cleared for development, businesses or tax-exempt properties.

The city will follow the same rules as in past years. Leaves must be in clear bags, and the city will not pick up dark-colored or opaque bags. Brush must be free of rope, wire, lumber and other debris. It should be piled neatly with the cut ends of limbs facing the street. Bags that mix yard waste with household rubbish or garbage will not be collected. Residents should not stack brush on top of leaf bags, because crews pick up each item separately.

Residents may not rake leaves or yard waste into the curb line or the street. Violators may be billed for the cleanup, cited or both.

Residents can also drop off brush and bagged leaves at the Public Works Garage during the same hours. Designated drop-off areas will be set up there, and the curbside rules apply to drop-offs as well.

It is illegal to bring yard waste from outside the city and leave it at a city curb. Violators may be cited.

Invasive species

The city is asking residents to separate out buckthorn, exotic honeysuckle and Japanese knotweed to help slow the spread of invasive plants. To schedule a pickup of invasive plants, call the Department of Public Works at 715-369-4727 and ask to be put on “the Buckthorn List.”

For help identifying those species, visit www.oclw.org or call 715-369-7835 to request a site visit. [Editor’s note: The release doesn’t say which organization runs oclw.org. It’s likely Oneida County Land and Water Conservation, but confirm before naming it.]

For more information, contact City Streets Superintendent Justin Ernst at 715-362-2728 or jernst@rhinelanderwi.us.