City of Hays offering “Fall Cleanup” this week

BY JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF

The 2022 Annual Fall Cleanup sponsored by the City of Hays is in full swing this week. The event began on Monday and services will be rendered through 4:00 pm this Saturday.

Director of Public Works, Jesse Rohr, spoke about the motivations behind the ongoing cleanup. 

“The purpose of this event is for City of Hays residential refuse customers and it provides an opportunity for those customers to dispose of items that are not typically collected during regular trash collection,” Rohr said. 

This week-long process is a sizeable operation for Hays and utilizes City of Hays staff from various divisions including Public Works, Parks, Water Resources, and Airport departments who all assist with the fall cleanup event. 

Rohr expands on the logistics behind the scenes saying 40-45 employees assist with the cleanup efforts. 

“Staff is divided up into four crews who each begin collection in different areas of the City,” he said. “Each crew has various equipment to assist with collection including pickups, flat-bed trailers, dump-trailers, front-end loaders, skid-steers, and trucks.” 

He continues by explaining the exact procedures that will be taking place and touches on the amount of time the process will take. 

“Each crew has a particular ‘zone’ in which they collect. When one crew’s particular zone is complete, they join one of the other crews to assist as needed,” Rohr said. “The entire process usually takes seven to eight days to complete the one-time sweep through the city.” 

Following the Hays City set rules for the event is vital to the efficiency of the project as well as to keeping everyone involved safe. 

Rohr touches on a few helpful tips for community members that plan on taking advantage of this annual opportunity. 

“Sorting helps make the cleanup effort more efficient,” he said. “Placement is also important to not only ensure that the items get collected, but that items are being kept away from gas meters and/or other utilities to prevent possible damage.” 

Rohr also emphasizes the importance of marking and separating items wished to be kept from those that will be disposed of. 

“Participants should also be removing items that are to be kept far away from the collection area or marking items that are not to be taken,” he said. “This is imperative so they are not accidentally thought to be ‘trash’ and are disposed of.”

The attached document contains further information about sorting, placement, what items can and what items cannot be picked up during the cleanup. 

Rohr then clarifies that while there is a time limit per residence, the Hays City Staff will make adjustments as justified. 

“If very large piles of items are set out, and since there is a 20-minute time limit per customer (10 minutes for tree branches), the customer will be responsible for disposing of any items left if the time limit is reached,” he said. “Trying to be diligent about the amount of items can help keep this from becoming an issue. As always, staff are willing to work with customers on a case-by-case basis in the event there is a peculiar situation that warrants further review.” 

Rohr spoke about the many benefits that the Annual Fall Cleanup produces for not only the members of the Hays community but for the city as a whole. 

“The cleanup event is very popular and is largely beneficial since it provides those without the resources to dispose of certain items a means to do so,” he said. “It also helps to collect items that may otherwise set around in yards or on residential properties and therefore aids in reducing clutter around Hays.”

For any more quick answers to questions about the event, please visit the City of Hays website with the page on the Annual Fall Cleanup.