Bulk Yard Waste Pick-ups

Three pick ups of leaves in kraft paper bags and brush occurs in May, Nov, & Dec for all 1-4-unit housing structures. Place leaves in kraft paper yard waste bags. Place brush in paper yard waste bags or bundled/tied brush no more than 2" in diameter and 4’ in length.

Seasonal leaf and brush pick up is scheduled in 2023 for:

• May 1st-5th
• October 30th-November 3rd
• November 27th - December 1st

East of Nichols would be on Wednesday and West, Thursday.

• Leaves must be in paper yard bags.
• Brush and branches must not exceed four feet in length and two inches in diameter and must be securely tied in bundles.
• No plastic bags of any color, size or style.
• There is no limit to the amount of leaves and brush set-out for pick up, as long as the material is generated from the property.
• Do not place loose leaves in the street because they clog street drains and create safety hazards.  They will not be collected, and you may be fined.
• Any missed bulk pickups should be reported to the Township before the end of the next business day.

The City of Kalamazoo offers a monthly brush collection program for City residents from May through October every year. Westwood is on the first Monday of the month (bulk Trash and brush are collected on the same day of the month, however bulk trash is collected only in the months of March, June, September, and December).

Please use the following guidelines when putting brush out for collection:

• Brush must be either bundled with twine (no metal), placed in open boxes or placed in biodegradable brown paper waste bags (brush in plastic bags will not be collected).
• Brush must be no larger than 4 feet long or 2 inches in diameter.
• Keep brush separate from bulk trash items.
• Brush mixed with grass clippings, leaves, or any other yard waste will NOT be accepted.  For suggestions on how to manage other yard waste, please see below.
• Place items intended for collection at or near the curb lawn no earlier than 6:00 a.m. on the day before the scheduled pick up, and no later than 7:00 a.m. the day of the scheduled pick up. 

Please note that leaves are not accepted as part of the monthly brush program. Leaf pickup is offered every fall between October and December, and leaves are also accepted as part of the special April Spring Clean Up. For questions about the brush collection program or to report a missed pick up, please call (269) 337-8215. You can also report missed pick ups and receive notices regarding this and other services by downloading the Recycle Coach app on your mobile device.

Bulk Trash pickups for 2022 are scheduled during the weeks of APRIL 4-8, JULY 11-15,  OCTOBER 3-7. East of Nichols is Wednesday and West,Thursday would be your pick up date. Limit at each pick up, approximately 3.5 cubic yards. If you think your address was missed please call the township within 24 hours of your pick-up day.

If you have a mattress infested with bed bugs, write “Bed Bugs” on the mattress and enclose it in a strong plastic bag or it will not be picked up. 

Regulations for Bulk Trash Pick Up

ACCEPTABLE

• This pick-up is intended to help you get rid of the things you can't fit in your trash container. It is not a substitute for garbage service.
• If you have some smaller items they should be in a bin, box or clear heavy duty plastic bag, contents must be visible.
• Bags and containers must weigh less than 50 lbs.
• Larger items such as: Furniture, toys, bicycles, appliances*, home fixtures and any other items as long as they are considered non-hazardous.
• A very limited amount of building materials: doors, sections of fencing - must be cut down to fit into the truck and can be lifted by one person.
• Latex Paints - Paint must be dried up in containers (used sawdust, kitty litter or just leave the can open for a few days).
• Wheel rims and small car parts.
• Republic Services picks up most things placed at the curb as long as it is prepared in "Manageable Bundles", clear bags, boxes and containers. They are not allowed to unload vehicles or trailers. The exceptions are below.

UNACCEPTABLE

• Large Plastic Drums
• Concrete
• Large pieces of Metal
• "Yard Waste"
• Liquid Waste or Hazardous Waste
• Tires (Tires may be accepted if they are cut up in flat pieces)
• Tires on Rims
• Non-Latex Paints & Varnishes
• Motor Oil & Solvents
• Any Batteries
• Regulated Medical Waste
• Large car parts such as; Engine blocks, bodies, oversize hoods & doors
• Building demolition: While they will take very small amounts of construction debris, they will not be able to remove large volumes such as: Garage or House demolition that would normally require a construction style dumpster.
• Appliances that contain Freon, such as: Refrigerators & Air Conditioners*, These items can be accepted if the Freon is removed and the appliance is "tagged" by a licensed facility that the Freon is removed.
• Consumers Energy will pay $50 for old working refrigerators. Contact them at 877-270-3519 for more information.

The City of Kalamazoo offers a quarterly collection of bulk trash to City residents (in the months of March, June, September, and December). Westwood's collection would be the first Monday of the month (if you live on a private street, please call (269) 337-8215 for further details). If your collection day falls on Independence Day, Christmas, or Labor Day, your pickup and all remaining pickups in that week will be delayed one day (in this case Friday collection will occur on Saturday).

Place items intended for collection at or near the curb lawn no earlier than 6:00 a.m. on the day before the scheduled pick up, and no later than 7:00 a.m. the day of the scheduled pick up.  Please note: All items not picked up, for any reason, must be removed from the curb lawn within two days following the completion of the regularly scheduled pick up for the area.  If items are placed at the curb lawn too soon, or left out on the curb lawn on days other than those allowed for bulk trash collection, the City may take immediate enforcement action, without notice, and bill the associated costs to the property owner.

To report a missed bulk trash collection, please call (269) 337-8215 within two business days of the scheduled collection.  A clause in the bulk trash contract requires the contractor to collect all reported misses of eligible materials within 48 hours of notice by the City.  Again, trash that has been allowed to remain on the curb lawn for more than two days after the scheduled collection (and not reported as missed) is considered to be a public nuisance and could be subject to corrective action.

Up to 7.5 cubic yards of bulk trash material (household junk and debris) will be accepted from each residential property each quarter. Small quantities of carpet will be collected only if cut to sections no larger than 4' x 4' and rolled.

More than 7.5 cubic yards of household junk and debris; regular household trash, food, small items that could be put in household trash carts, human waste, yard waste, dead animals, tires, large auto parts, rocks, sand, glass, concrete, remodeling/renovation materials, infested items posing a risk to workers (see paragraph below), nor any materials placed in opaque/non-transparent plastic bags.  Due to potential health risks, items placed in opaque/non-transparent plastic bags will not be accepted. Smaller bulk items must be placed in open boxes or clear plastic bags.