Beginning on Monday, residents in the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) regulated area, which includes most of Jamaica Plain, will receive special collections for yard waste including leaves, grass clippings and small branches.
Evidence of an infestation by the tree-killing beetles was discovered recently in six trees at Faulkner Hospital and announced at a press conference there July 5. No further evidence of an infestation has been discovered since then, but a federal ban on moving wood out of the area will likely be in place for years. [See “Beetle hunt, wood ban to last years” ]
To participate in the special collection, residents should:
· Separate leaves and yard debris from regular trash by using large paper leaf bags or open barrels labeled “yard waste”;
· Tie branches with string but keep separate from leaf bags and barrels.
· Place barrels, bags and branches on the curb by 7:00 AM on the regularly scheduled trash collection days.
Residents can obtain stickers to place on bags or barrels filled with yard waste by calling the Mayor’s 24-hour Hotline at (617) 635-4500 and to receive more information, or to see the regulated areas in the city, residents should visit cityofboston.gov. To report potential beetle sightings, call the USDA’s ALB hotline at (866) 702-9938.
David Taber
With information from City of Boston press materials