The city of Rock Island is providing free leaf collection through Dec. 2 for all residents who are refuse customers provided they follow a few simple guidelines.
The city provides free collection bags, but residents may use their own bags if approved. The bags of leaves are to be placed at the usual collection spots on the regular pickup day. A separate vehicle will be picking up leaf bags.
Residents will be able to pick up the leaf collection bags during business hours at seven locations. There is a maximum of 20 bags allotted per household per day, and bag pickup will require a photo ID or a piece of mail proving residence.
Five of the sites distributing bags are open Monday through Friday only. Those sites are Rock Island City Hall at 1528 Third Ave.; Public Works Department, 1309 Mill St.; Martin Luther King Center, 630 9th St.; South Rock Island Township Office (front office), 1019 27th Ave.; and Rock Island Township Assessor’s Office (back of building), 2827 7th Ave., Suite 1. The five sites open at 9 a.m. and stay open until at least 4 p.m., with slight variations.
The remaining two sites are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Those sites are the Highland Springs Golf Course at 9500 35th Street West and Saukie Golf Course at 3101 38th St.
To take advantage of the free service, customers need not be enrolled in the city’s yard waste subscription program and will not be required to place any yard waste stickers on the leaf collection bags.
City officials remind residents that the leaf bags must contain only leaves and not yard debris or any other materials.
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