Brush
The City of Seguin is divided into 5 zones/5 week brush collection cycles. This system allows the Brush Department to provide brush pick up to customers every fifth (5th) week. The brush schedule is subject to change due to emergencies, inclement weather, equipment failure, or manpower.
The Brush Department uses two methods of pick up:
- Grapple Trucks- With this service, all brush must be placed in front of your residence and away from mailboxes, and utility poles, not over any type of meter or under tree limbs or low-hanging utility lines.
- Chipper - This is an alley service, and staff will only chip for a 15-minute period as stated in the City's policy.
If you currently have alley service and need larger amounts of brush removed, place the brush at the street and the grapple trucks will remove properly stacked piles of brush. Grapple trucks never service alleyways due to many existing obstacles (such as water meters, gas meters, and low overhead utility lines).
The following information is provided as a reference for the citizens of the City of Seguin, who will be utilizing the brush pickup service.
Brush Definition
Tree and shrub trimmings and prunings which have been pruned or fallen onto the premises to which brush pickup service by the city is to be provided. Brush shall not include trash, garbage, yard trimmings, leaves, bamboo, banana plants, palm leaves, or any other debris not specifically addressed in the official city policy. Nor does the service include the removal of trees and brush which has resulted from the clearing of land by heavy equipment, i.e. bulldozers, etc.
Frequency of Collection
Brush pickup service shall be provided to each applicable residential and commercial premise once every five weeks. A pickup schedule has been established and includes five city pickup zones in which the Brush Department shall operate for approximately one week. The pickup schedule will be published on the City's website, and television cable channel, and in the interest of ensuring brush collection for the entire city in a timely manner, the Brush Department shall not normally deviate from the established schedule. No collection of brush will occur on Saturday, Sunday, or holidays observed by the City. Brush shall be placed at the curbside no later than on the Sunday evening prior to the scheduled collection week. Brush must be reasonably contained.
Brush Parameters and Chipper Service
Brush shall be limited to five feet in length, twelve (12) inches in diameter (this is the maximum diameter that our chippers can accept), and forty (40) pounds in weight for any single branch.
Brush Chipping Service Duration
The City allots 15 minutes for chipping of brush pickup for alley service for property within the City limits. When the 5-week cycle for brush pickup at any location exceeds the allotted 15 minutes, the Brush Department will provide the resident with a door hanger informing them of this policy. The resident will have the option of paying the established fee rate for the additional pile pickup or have the pile removed during the next scheduled pick up, assuming the remaining pile does not exceed the 15-minute allotment. If the pile does exceed the next scheduled pickup allotment, the resident will be notified and will have the option of paying for the remaining pile to be removed or be assessed the established fee rate on their next utility bill.
Emergency Brush Pickup
The Brush Department may deviate from its pickup schedule and working hours in the event of the excessive accumulation of brush debris resulting from a severe weather event or other event. The need for and terms of such a schedule deviation shall be determined by the City Council.
Location of Collection
Brush shall be placed at the customer's street curb line or at the edge of the paved street surface if sanitation service is normally provided on a city street adjacent to the customer's premises. In the instance in which sanitation service is normally provided in an alley adjacent to a customer's premises, a brush shall be placed at the customer's property line adjoining the city alley. Brush will be picked up at no other location, and in no case shall Brush Department crews enter private property to cut or remove brush debris. Residents can change to grapple pick up if they wish, but the brush debris needs to be on the street by no later that 7 am on the Monday your collection week. All trucks have GPS allowing the City to check a customer's location if they feel their collection has been missed.
Condition and Content of Brush
Brush accumulated for pickup by city crews shall contain only brush and shall specifically exclude garbage, trash, bamboo, palm leaves or cactus, leaves, and lawn clippings. The customer shall be solely responsible for ensuring that such excluded materials are not mixed with the accumulated brush. Mixed brush will not be picked up by city crews. Brush accumulated for pickup shall be piled as neatly as possible at the designated location.
The customer should understand that accumulation of brush in a manner which restricts the city's access or in any way causes additional removal time may result in additional charges to the customer. The city will only pickup brush which originated at the premises on which the brush debris is accumulated for pickup. Brush/log piles that exceed parameters, a door hanger will be left at the door notifying the owner, a allowing the owner ten days to remove the brush/logs.
Charges for Brush Collection
In the event the city's designated Brush Department representative estimates that the time required for removal of brush from a particular residence or commercial establishment will exceed fifteen (15) minutes in duration, additional charges shall be levied to cover the cost of city work hours and equipment time. Prior to removing the brush, the city representative shall contact the appropriate property owner, resident, occupant, or responsible authority to seek authorization to proceed with brush removal which exceeds fifteen (15) minutes in duration. The fee is established in "Appendix C" of the City of Seguin Code of Ordinances.
Subsequent to the removal of brush from the customer's premises, the city's representative shall determine the actual work time taken, and a corresponding charge shall be levied on the customer's utility bill for each additional fifteen (15) minute period of actual work time required for brush removal. Charges shall not be prorated for periods of less than fifteen (15) minutes.
Residential Use of Mulch
Public Works generates mulch from the brush collected. This brush is processed through a larger grinder and the end product is very close to what you would find at a landscape nursery. This material is free to Seguin resident and is available at the Mulch Pickup Area located at 634 Fred Byrd Drive. You must reside inside the city limits. Residents may take as much mulch as is readily available during the hours of 7 am to 3 pm; however, resident must load on their own and bring their own tools.