Departments  ⁄  Public Works  ⁄  FAQ

FAQ

Answers to some of our most commonly received questions.

Garbage pick-up questions and answers

1. What is the proper way to put out garbage for collection?

All garbage should be properly containerized. Garbage cans can be no larger than 35 gallons, and cannot exceed 50 pounds per can. Please do not place any items at the curb for pick-up that are not properly containerized. Loose material is unsightly, and reduces the efficiency of our collection. Plastic bags are not to be used for garbage.

2. What do I do if my garbage was not picked up?

First check to see if a yellow sticker was left on your can. This sticker will explain why your items were left. We will not pick-up illegal cans for safety reasons. If there is a yellow sticker, please resolve the problem and call for a pick-up. If there is not a yellow sticker, it is possible that it was put out after we came by, or we missed it. Please call us and we will return.

3. What types of items am I allowed to put out for pick-up?

Your weekly garbage pick-up is for the trash you generate in a normal week. Simply stated, any item that you do not normally put at the curb every week, is considered bulk, and could result in a special pick-up fee. Some of these items are: carpet, mattresses and bedding, furniture, wood debris, concrete, blacktop, dirt, sod, large and some small appliances, construction or demolition material. E-Waste, household and outdoor chemicals, paints, cleaners, degreasers, or any other hazardous waste are not allowed at any time.

4. Can I call to arrange for a special pick-up?

You can call any time to arrange for either a special pick-up, or to find out what other options are available to you.

Recycling pick-up questions and answers

1. When can I put out my recycling box for collection?

The same rules for garbage pick-up apply for your recycling pick-up.

2. What can I put out for recycling?

You can recycle all glass, plastic, and metal containers. These items should be rinsed out before recycling. All paper items can also be recycled. Cardboard can also be recycled, but has to be no larger than 2 feet by 4 feet. Any item that contained food can be recycled as long as there are no food particles remaining on the item.

3. What is the proper way to put out my recycling?

Your recycling box should only contain recyclable items. Please do not mix in any non-recyclable items. All items should be properly rinsed, if necessary. We request that all paper items be put on the bottom of the recycling box, and all containers put on top of the paper. This eliminates the chance of the papers blowing away, and makes it more efficient for us to collect your recycling.

4. What do I do if my recycling was not picked up?

First check to see if a yellow sticker was left on your recycling box. This sticker will tell you why we did not pick-up your recycling. If there is a yellow sticker, please correct the problem and call us to return for your pick-up. If there is not a yellow sticker, then it is possible it was put out after we came by, or we missed it. Please call us and we will return.

5. Why do I have only one recycling box?

There is no rule that says you can only have one recycling box. If you have two boxes, please separate the paper products in one box, and the containers in the other, and place the box with the containers on top of the box with the papers. This will eliminate the papers from blowing away, and help us be more efficient with our collection.

6. How do I get another recycling box?

Recycling boxes are available at the Village Office. You can purchase them from us at the same price we pay, or you can buy your own from any department store.

Bulk pick-up questions and answers

1. What is bulk pick-up?

Bulk pick-up is when you are allowed to put at the curb the items that are not allowed during your normal garbage collection. Please, at no time is any contractor's debris allowed. All contractors should remove their own debris. Some of the bulk items are: large appliances, furniture, carpet, concrete, and many other items. Please call us if you are not sure what bulk items are.

2. When is bulk pick-up?

Beginning January 2nd, 2019 Bulk will be removed at no additional fee on the second full week of the following month during your regular pick-up day. There will be NO bulk pickup during the months of July, September and November.

3. When can I put out bulk pick-up items?

Bulk items can be put out no earlier than the Saturday prior to bulk pick-up. We allow this because we understand that there is not enough time for some people to put bulk items out the night before their regular pick-up day. Only bulk items are allowed to be out before your regular schedule garbage collection day. Please do not put out any normal garbage with your bulk, as you could be charged a fee for the garbage items.

4. How should I put my bulk items out for pick-up?

All bulk items should be kept separate whenever possible. All metal items should be in a separate pile, all wood items should be in a separate pile, all concrete, blacktop, stone, and dirt should be in a separate pile. There should be no garbage mixed with any bulk items at any time. We pick all types of bulk items separately for recycling, and these facilities do not allow different types of material to be mixed together. Please do not mix these items, as you could be assessed a fee for the unnecessary time we spend separating your items. Keeping item separate allows us to get all items pick-up in a safe and efficient manner.

5. What if I have too much bulk to fit on my yard?

Please call us if you are going to have an excessive amount of bulk items so we can make other arrangements with you to have everything removed, and to discuss other options that are available to you.

6. Why aren't televisions, computers, printers or other electronic items for bulk pick-up free anymore?

As of January 2012, new laws state all electronic waste (E-Waste) must be recycled at an approve facility and are no longer allowed at the landfill. Any E-Waste placed at the curb for regular or bulk pick-up will be charged a fee for each item we collect. You may avoid these fees by bringing your E-Waste items to the DPW Garage.

Brush pick-up questions and answers

1. When is brush pick-up?

Brush pick-up is normally done every Monday. On Mondays, we pick-up brush for the entire village. If Monday is a holiday, we will pick brush on Tuesday.

2. What can I put out for brush pick-up?

Brush is considered any tree limbs or bushes that you remove from your property. It could also be an entire tree, as long as you removed the entire tree. We will not pick-up any trees or bushes that were removed by a contractor. The contractor you hire is responsible to remove their own debris.

3. How do I put out my brush for pick-up?

Place your brush between the curb and sidewalk in a separate pile, in a neat and orderly manner, making sure you do not obstruct the sidewalk or infringe on the roadway. It is very difficult for people walking or driving at night to see any tree limbs that may be a hazard. Please do not place tree limbs or brush in garbage cans, as we must recycle the brush. This reduces the efficiency of our collection and can add to unnecessary landfill fees.

4. What if I have too much brush for this area?

If you are going to have a large amount of brush, please call us so we can arrange for multiple pick-ups, or to discuss other options that are available to you.

5. Will I get fined if my brush is out during the week?

You can put out your brush whenever it is convenient for you. You will not incur a fine if your brush is out, however, we will not pick-up the brush until the next Monday. The only time you would get a fine for brush is when we have to pick it up due to an obstruction of the sidewalk or roadway or a hazardous condition exists.

Leaf pick-up questions and answers

1. What is leaf pick-up?

Leaf pick-up is when we collect your leaves from the curb in the fall. Leaf collection is either done by picking your leaf piles with a large vacuum truck, or by picking up your bagged leaves, from the curb.

2. When is leaf pick-up?

Leaf collection usually begins in October and runs until the weather no longer allows us to collect leaves.

3. How should I put out my leaves?

You can put your leaves out for collection in 2 ways. You can place your large leaf piles between the curb and the sidewalk for pick-up by the leaf vacuum, or you can bag your leaves in paper recyclable bags. If you place your leaves in a pile for the vacuum truck, please do not put the piles in the road. This obstructs traffic, plugs up storm drains, and can create a hazard if children play in the piles. Please do not mix any other material with the leaf piles, as it can damage our equipment.

4. Why do I have to use paper recyclable bags?

These types of bags are required for two reasons. Paper recyclable bags allow us to distinguish between leaf bags and garbage bags. We recycle all the leaves we collect, and do not want to throw your leaf bags in the garbage truck, and pay unnecessary landfill fees. Paper recyclable bags allow us to recycle the bags along with the leaves.

5. When will my leaves be picked up?

If you bag your leaves, they will be picked up on your regular scheduled garbage day, by a separate crew. Your leaves will not be picked up by the garbage truck, as we recycle the leaves. If you place your leaves in a pile at the curb, they will usually be picked up once per week. It takes us at least 6 days, including Saturdays, to make one complete pass of the entire village. We will not return to your area again until the entire village has been picked. It is difficult to predict when we will be in your area, as leaf collection is time consuming and dependent on how much is out on a given day.

6. What do I do with my leaves in the spring?

Many times the weather does not allow homeowners to finish raking their leaves, or us to finish picking up the leaves. We only use the large leaf vacuum trucks in the fall. Therefore, in the spring, all leaves must be bagged for collection. We remove the leaf boxes from the trucks after fall collection to use the trucks for snow plowing, and we use the trucks in the spring and summer for road work, and bulk pick-ups. If you do place your leaves in a pile at the curb, they will not be picked up until bulk week, and you may be subject to a fine for pick-up.

Yard debris questions and answers

1. What is considered yard debris?

Yard debris is considered to be grass clippings, small plants or twigs, and lawn rakings.

2. When is yard debris picked up?

Yard debris collection is from the spring until the late fall, when leaf collection begins, and is picked up on your regular scheduled garbage day by a separate crew.

3. How do I put out my yard debris?

Yard debris must be in paper recyclable bags, so we can distinguish the yard debris from garbage. Please do not put your yard debris in small piles at the curb. It is much more efficient to pick-up dozens of bags than dozens of small piles. Remember, we have to pick-up everyone's yard debris. Please do not place yard debris in your garbage cans, as we must recycle your yard debris, and do not want to pay unnecessary landfill fees.

Overnight truck usage questions and answers:

Snow plowing questions and answers:

1. What time of the day do you snow plow?

Snow is plowed at any given time when more than 2 inches of snow has accumulated on the roadway. It normally takes us 3 hours to complete a plow run of the entire Village. That means that some areas of the Village will have more snow on the ground by the time we get to your street. If snow is falling at a rate of 1 inch per hour, there could be an additional 3 inches on the road after we have already plowed your street. Whenever snow is remaining on the ground at the end of the day, we will come back in at 3:00 in the morning to plow the streets again to clean up the remaining snow.

2. Why do you fill up my driveway with snow?

Our job is to keep the streets and sidewalks free of accumulating snow. Unfortunately, as a result of our snow plowing, the snow is deposited into everyone's driveways. We do not enjoy filling up your driveways, but it is our job to keep the streets and sidewalks safe for traffic. Please remember we are only doing our jobs so that you can safely use the streets and sidewalks.

3. Why can't I park in the street in the winter?

For snow plowing, we need all vehicles off the streets so we can clear the snow from curb to curb. During night time and early morning hours, it is very difficult to see a parked car, due to the amount of snow being pushed ahead of the plow. For safety reasons, we ask that all cars be removed from the street. Any cars left on the street will be towed at the owner's expense.

4. Why can't I park across the sidewalk in my driveway?

We also plow all the sidewalks in the Village. If there is a car across the sidewalk, the plow cannot get through. As a result, this slows us down as the sidewalk plow has to exit the sidewalk at the previous driveway and re-enter at the next driveway. This also causes larger amounts of snow to be left in the road and in your neighbor's driveways. Any cars blocking the sidewalk will be towed at the owner’s expense.

5. Where can I put the snow from my driveway?

All snow from your property must remain on your property. It is illegal to put your snow in the road, across the street or on anyone else's property. Try to plan ahead and have a snow storage location for your snow.

6. What do I do if a private snow plow contractor pushes snow into my yard or driveway?

Try to get a license plate number or at least a description of the vehicle. Chances are they will return for the next round of plowing. Then notify the Police of the situation. It is best to let them handle this situation.

Here are some other frequently asked questions:

1. Why am I responsible for my sewer lateral?

Per New York State Village Law, the sewer lateral from the house to the main sewer in the middle of the road is the responsibility of the homeowner. The portion of taxes you pay to the Village is for the use of the main sewer line on your street, and for the entire sewer system in the Village. The main sewer system throughout the Village collects the sewage from all houses in the Village. Since your house is the only user of your lateral, you are responsible for the maintenance of that sewer lateral. The Village is only responsible for the main sewer system.

2. What do I do if I have a sewer problem?

If you are having a sewer problem, please call us before you call a plumber. We will come out and check our main sewer, and let you know if the problem is ours or yours. There is no sense in paying a plumber to tell you your lateral is fine, and the problem is with the main sewer. If you need to call us after normal working hours, you must call 911. Inform them that the call is for a non emergency, and that you need someone from the village to check your sewer problem. They have a list of our names and numbers, and will call us right away.

3. What do I do if I notice a hazard situation?

Please call us if you see any type of hazardous situation, as we may not know about it. If you see any hazardous situation after normal working hours, and would like to report it, please call 911 and inform them of the hazard. A hazardous situation could be a sinkhole, debris in the road, or many other items. We appreciate your informing us of these situations, so we can resolve the hazardous situation as soon as possible.

4. Why do I need a permit to repave my driveway or to fix my sewer?

Obtaining a permit is necessary for several reasons. Any time work is done within the Village’s Right of Way, the Village needs to ensure that all work is done per our specifications. The permit also notifies us that you are having work done that needs to be inspected by us to ensure your contractor has installed the material properly, and that you have not been taken advantage of. This is for your protection to ensure the job has been completed correctly.

5. Who is responsible for the street lights in the Village?

All street lights are owned, operated and maintained by Rochester Gas and Electric. The Village does not perform any maintenance of street lights, including street lights that are not working. Please call RG&E if you have a concern about any street light.

6. Who is responsible for the water mains and water meters?

If you have any questions relating to water main leaks, fire hydrants, your water meter or your water bill, please call the Monroe County Water Authority.

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Public Works Links

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East Rochester was originally called Despatch because of its proximity to the railroad. The word came from the name of the first major company to locate here...

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