Brush Pickup

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Village of Berkeley takes great pride in the beautification and maintenance of its community and supports the efforts of its residents through its annual brush pickup program. Beginning the first Monday of each April and ending the last Monday each November, the Berkeley Public Works Department collects brush for residential parkways every other Monday, West of Taft Avenue, and East of Taft Avenue. Pickup dates conveniently correspond with the recycling date of each side of the Village.

As a reminder, the pickup schedule is updated online on the community calendar each year and is circulated via the Berkeley Connects Newsletter each issue through the spring and fall.

Although part of a set schedule each week, program collection can at times be pushed back due to emergency situations requiring the attention of department personnel. Alternatively, additional pickups may be offered due to storm damage and other “Acts of God” on an as needed basis. Please be patient as collection may take up to several hours or days in circumstances where inclement weather, volume or mechanical problems may cause delays.

For the purposes of this curbside collection program, “brush” collectively refers to tree limbs, branches, pruning, and small shrubs/bushes.  

 

COLLECTION GUIDELINES

All brush to be collected must be set out in the residential parkway no later than 7:00 a.m. the day of collection, but no earlier than the Saturday or Sunday before the collection day.  Plan your trimming around your scheduled pickup to prevent violation of this requirement. Brush placed in the parkway in advance of scheduled pickup may be ticketed by Code Enforcement officials.

Brush must be properly prepared and meet the following specifications:

  • Public Works personnel will make only one pass through the Village each scheduled day. If a resident should miss that pass, do not bring brush out until the next scheduled pickup day. 
  • For the safety of Berkeley residents, the Public Works Department requests that residents do not approach workers who are operating chipping machinery such as the wood chipper and/or chain saws, as they are used with protective equipment with good reason. 
  • Branches must measure between 3 feet and 8 feet in length and be placed in the parkway with cut ends toward the street. Brush piles that are badly tangled will not be picked up as they represent a safety hazard to personnel.  
  • Please place branches with thorns in a separate pile. 
  • Place brush on the parkway in front of your home only. Branches placed in alleys are neither easily seen nor accessible. 
  • Do not place brush in cans. Brush placed in cans will be left behind for regular weekly garbage pickup. 
  • Willow whips, vines, stalks and similar yard vegetation must be disposed of with weekly yard waste pickup as it causes damage to chipping machinery. 
  • Remove all roots, stumps, and dirt. Stumps can be disposed of during regular yard waste pickup. 
  • Brush containing anything other than branches will not be collected. 
  • Brush must never be piled to obstruct visibility for pedestrians & vehicles nor protrude into the residential roadway or right of way.
  • The brush program is for home owners performing work themselves. Brush generated by tree services, landscape contractors or other services paid for by the homeowner are not eligible for this program. The homeowner must arrange for removal of any contractor-generated brush at their own expense.
  • Brush removal is not the same as tree removal. The Village will not chip a removed tree. This exceeds the intent of the program and is the responsibility of the homeowner to dispose of properly.

Brush piles that do not adhere to chipping requirements will be tagged by Public Works personnel. The tag will explain why the brush pile was not removed and what steps the resident needs to take to correct the problem.