Street Cleaning Program

Street cleaning for the City of Muscatine involves the operation of the City’s street sweeper and the leaf collection program. Dirt and debris are removed from City streets to provide a healthy and safe environment for the citizens of Muscatine. Street cleaning prevents physical damage to pavements and minimizes the burden on the storm sewer system from surface debris.

City staff typically cleans only streets with curbs. Street cleaning studies have found that 97 percent of street debris lies within 40 inches of the curb. The accumulation of debris at the curb is caused by the design of the street and vehicular movement. Streets are designed with a crown in the middle sloping toward the sides. Water and debris move toward the curb and gutter areas. Vehicle movement scatters debris to the edges of traffic lanes. Streets with no curbs are affected by the same factors as curbed streets, but with no curb the debris is dispersed onto areas adjacent to the paved surfaces. Uncurbed streets are, in effect, self-cleaning.

Spring Cleanup: In the spring of 2009, the City of Muscatine implemented a city-wide street cleaning program. Along with utilizing our own street sweeper, three mechanical sweepers were rented. Each of the four sweepers swept an area of the city. Within three weeks, we had covered all the streets with curbs in Muscatine. This was important in order to rid the streets from sand/cinders used during the winter months. This project proved to be very effective.

Leaf Pickup: The City has four leaf vacuum units in addition to four leaf boxes, which are mounted on existing dump trucks. This equipment has greatly improved the City’s ability to pick up leaves as a service to residents and has helped keep leaves out of the City’s sewer system. City crews will collect loose leaves from the curb beginning Monday, October 19th thru November 25th according to the following schedule:

• 2009 FALL LEAF PICKUP MAP AND SCHEDULE

Please keep in mind that weather and other delays may affect the published schedule. Because snow and ice control take priority, loose leaf collection operations will cease in the event of ice or snow. Therefore, residents are encouraged to bag leaves for collection by the Sanitation Department or deliver the leaves to the Compost Site located at the Transfer Station – 1000 South Houser Street whenever possible in order to ensure disposal prior to winter snow. Fall Leaf Collection Schedules are distributed in September by Muscatine Power and Water and will be included with the electric bills. If you have questions, please contact the City of Muscatine Public Works Department at 563-263-8933.

Program Guidelines:

• Rake loose leaves to the curb (not in the street) before 7:00 a.m. of the day of your scheduled pick-up.
• Avoid parking on the street on your scheduled leaf collection day. LEAF PILES BLOCKED BY CARS WILL NOT BE COLLECTED UNTIL CARS ARE MOVED.
• Do not mix trash, branches or other yard waste with your leaf piles.
• For safety reasons, please do not allow children to play in leaf piles located on the curb.

To aid in the productivity of fall leaf collection, the City of Muscatine provides a compost site open to the public and located at 1000 South Houser Street. The hours are as follows:

Sunday – Friday: Noon – 6:00 P.M.
Saturday: 9:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M.

Brush Pickup

Street Cleaning FAQ's