ALPENA — The City of Alpena will begin phasing in some changes to our residential bagged lawn waste program this season, a Tuesday press release from the city stated.

Effective this year, residents are encouraged to utilize compostable lawn waste bags to dispose of their lawn waste. The use of the bags brings multiple benefits to the city’s composting program which include being less labor intensive, eliminating landfilling the black plastic bags, and speeding up the composting process.

The most common brown paper composting lawn bags are locally available at several retailers.

Beginning in 2026, the composting bags will be required for lawn waste to be picked up curbside.

All bagged lawn waste material (no brush) shall be placed on the curbline by 6 a.m. on Monday. Any material placed at the curb after 6 a.m. on Monday will not be collected. Material shall not be placed more than 48 hours in advance of Monday morning.

Bagged lawn waste material is for residential properties only, the city stated in the press release, adding that the bags may sit in front of your house for multiple days before being collected. Bagged lawn waste shall contain lawn waste only. No soil, bushes or household waste will be accepted. In the event that a pile has not been removed for any of the above reasons, city employees will place a door hanger at the residence explaining the reasoning.

Any materials left within the right of way shall be removed within seven days to prevent code enforcement involvement.

The Public Works Service Center, located at 1001 Long Lake Ave., is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for drop off of lawn materials for city residents only. The center will also be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays for drop off of lawn materials through October. Brush drop-off is not permitted at the Public Works Service Center. All bagged lawn material shall be deposited where directed by the on-site signage and Public Works employees. Bagged material shall be emptied from non-compostable bags as directed and a trash receptacle will be available for disposal of bags.

The next brush pickup will be Aug. 18.