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City offers new way to help citizens clean up

Program will continue through August

There will be a modified cleanup day collection in Fort Dodge this fall, but an ongoing bulk pickup program may prove to be the preferred method of getting rid of large refuse items in the future.

A combination of the fall cleanup and the bulk pickup program could replace the annual junk days collection held for years in April and May.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the cancellation of this year’s spring cleanup days collection. City Manager David Fierke told the City Council Monday that the collection was canceled to prevent COVID-19 from spreading through the ranks of the Public Works Department as employees worked side-by-side to pick up all the material.

To provide a disposal option, a system was set up in which residents who are city sanitation customers can contact the Public Works Department to arrange for pickup of large items on the same day that their recycling materials are collected.

The program began in June and will continue through August.

It offers free collection of furniture, mattresses, carpet, dismantled swing sets, bikes, scooters and large toys. Passenger car tires will be collected for $5 each. TVs and other electronics will be picked up for $15 each.

Fierke said Monday that there has been “nothing but positive feedback” on the program.

He reported that 32.4 tons of material has been collected.

The collection has cost $2,460 while generating $1,365 in revenue.

Fierke reported that the typical spring cleanup collection days require the commitment of the entire Public Works Department staff. The summer program requires only a couple of workers to do, allowing regular maintenance work to go on as scheduled.

According to figures presented to the council, the 2019 spring cleanup days cost $93,477.12 to complete.

So far, this summer’s program has cost $28,427.20.

Councilman Neven Conrad said officials were “adamant” that there would be a cleanup collection in the fall when they announced that the spring one would be canceled. He joined Mayor Matt Bemrich, Councilman Kim Alstott and Councilman Terry Moehnke in stating that the city should have a fall collection. But they all indicated they were open to the possibility of having a bulk pickup throughout the summer of 2021.

The dates for this fall’s collection haven’t been set yet. But when the collection is held, it will be different from past pickups, according to Councilman Jeff Halter. He said only large, bulky items will be picked up.

Bags of garbage and other small loose items will not be picked up.

“Junk days is not going to be the way people envision it to be,” Halter said.

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