Dauphin’s annual spring cleanup campaign is set to begin next week and it will be the last time city residents see Public Works crews collecting yard waste from back alleys in the spring.

Mike VanAlstyne, director of Public Works and Operations said a decision was made to discontinue the spring collection with an eye to improving operations in other areas.

“We’re looking at the cost of doing the work and the amount of time it takes, which can be better spent getting a start on a lot of the other maintenance work that we’ve just been unable to get done in the last couple years,” VanAlstyne said. “Spring cleanup wastes about three weeks of favourable weather that we could be doing other meaningful tasks with the manpower and equipment. So it’s just a good opportunity now as the green bin program should be at full usage for anyone wanting to use by the end of this summer.”

VanAlstyne said with the difficulties the City has had in securing seasonal staff, having five employees and several pieces of equipment tied up for three weeks each spring puts the department under the gun to complete maintenance work such as crack sealing in the fall.

“It’s a situation that we can’t get anything else started until the middle of June, essentially, which isn’t acceptable from a maintenance standpoint on critical infrastructure,” he said. “Spring cleanup uses at least five employees at a time that they could be busy doing something else.”

Fall cleanup campaigns, he added, will continue as usual.

The final Spring Cleanup Campaign gets underway, May 13, in the Day 1 area on the garbage schedule.

During one pass through the city, crews will collect accumulated garden waste, grass clippings and leaves, as well as shrubs and tree branches less than six inches in diameter at a maximum length of eight feet.

These items will only be collected if they are free of household waste, hazardous waste and recyclable materials and are in a clearly identifiable pile or packaged in biodegradable bags or boxes.

The spring clean up campaign will occur in the back lanes, so place the items near your back lane for pick-up. Those residences that do not have a back lane, place your items on the boulevard near the curb.

Large equipment will be used, so it is important to place the items close to the lane or curb to avoid property damage.