Lansing Residents Need To Know These Storm Cleanup Rules

If you spent part of the holiday dragging branches across the yard, you were not alone here in Mid-Michigan.

After the storms on Friday, plenty of Lansing neighborhoods were left with downed trees, broken limbs, and a lot of cleanup. Before you haul everything to the curb, the City of Lansing is reminding residents that there are some rules for what will and will not be picked up.

Here are the main things you should know.

What Lansing Will Pick Up

If a tree or a large branch came down in the city right-of-way, which is the area near the sidewalk and the street, the city will handle that removal. If the branches came from a tree on private property, the owners have to follow Lansing's normal yard waste rules.

This means the city is not grabbing giant limbs from your yard because the storm knocked them down.

How To Bag And Bundle Yard Waste

Yard waste needs to be placed in paper yard waste bags. Do not use plastic bags, trash carts, or recycling carts. Bags and bundles also have to weigh 30 pounds or less.

If you are bundling branches or tree trimmings, they need to be tied with string or twine. Wire will not work on these bundles. Branches also have to be less than four feet long and less than two inches around.

What Counts As Yard Waste In Lansing

Yard waste includes things like leaves, grass clippings, tree trimmings, and brush trimmings.

Cleanup may take a little longer than anyone would want it to after a storm on a holiday weekend. Getting it set out the right way, however, should keep things moving.

If you have a massive limb or tree down in your yard, you may need to contact a private tree service or cut it down to meet the city's collection guidelines for pickup.