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West Windsor council debates trimming brush pickup to free DPW for potholes, tree work
Summary
Councilors discussed a proposal to reduce annual brush collection months from 10 to about 5 so DPW can focus on pothole repair, roadside trash, and tree maintenance. Officials asked residents for targeted feedback and month-by-month pickup data before finalizing the change.
West Windsor Mayor Haymon Marate proposed a revision to the township’s brush-and-leaf pickup schedule aimed at matching services to staff capacity and rising workload. The proposal would keep focused leaf collection during peak months while significantly reducing street brush pickup in five months of the year, directing residents to use the public-works drop-off when possible.
Marate told the council the change is driven by a near 50% increase in cubic yards collected since 2002 and constrained manpower. “We can’t keep up with whatever we were doing before,” he said, explaining the shift would allow crews to prioritize pothole repairs, roadside trash removal, street-tree maintenance and emergency response.
Under the plan presented, DPW would restrict brush collection in March, July, August, November and December, while leaf pickup would remain concentrated in the months with the most leaf fall. The mayor said that dropping brush collection in those five months would reduce the township’s brush pickups by about 22% based on 2025 data, and residents would retain the option of bringing material to Public Works at 70 Southfield Road.
Council members pressed for more specific operational data before a final decision. Councilmember Dan requested month-by-month load data to understand which zones would be most affected, noting that if, for example, Zone 1 is collected in early June, that neighborhood could go several months before another brush pickup. “Maybe we should continue brush collection in July as well,” Dan said, suggesting a smaller reduction (e.g., from 10 months to six) might be less disruptive.
Councilmember Linda urged the council to codify limits on the size of curbside piles and strengthen enforcement. “We need to set parameters for how much can be placed in front of people’s homes,” she said, citing examples of oversized contractor piles that block bike lanes and create safety risks. Several council members said rules without enforcement would not solve the problem.
Councilmembers and staff discussed other operational options: rebalancing zones, reserving a fifth-week buffer for catch-up work, and improving resident notifications through the township app or email alerts. Public Works would continue to accept contractor loads if accompanied by homeowners and would maintain Saturday drop-off hours.
The mayor said the proposal will be posted on the township website and that residents may submit comments to brushandleaf@westcitywp.co; all comments will be forwarded to council and DPW. Officials said they expect to return to the council after a public-comment period and additional data review, with any implementation timed for the upcoming leaf season.
The council did not adopt the change at the May 26 meeting; members asked for more detailed monthly collection figures and clearer enforcement and volume-limit language before voting.
