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Rifle Rapport: It’s Spring Cleanup time

For those Rifle residents that have trouble throwing things away, the time has come to get rid of all the extra junk that has piled up over the year. The 12th annual Rifle Spring Cleanup will begin later this month as city pickup crews will be heading through neighbors throughout town.

A successful event for Rifle over the past several years as nearly 450,000 pounds of trash was disposed of in 2018, almost 100,000 pounds more than 2017.

Spring Cleanup is organized by Rifle Community Service Officer Sara Flores and carried out by an army of City employees from various departments.



“People would be surprised by how much trash we find on City open spaces and public lands,” Flores said of finding illegal dump sites in town. “This event helps put a dent in that. This is your opportunity to have that hard to get rid of item picked up at your curb.”

The collections will start April 22nd and run through May 2nd. Where you live determines the date of pickup. If you live east of Railroad Avenue and Highway 13, items will need to be curbside on Sunday night, April 21st. If you live WEST of Railroad Avenue and Highway 13 OR anywhere south of I-70, items will need to be out Sunday night, April 28th. City crews will only make one trip through your neighborhood. Items should not be out more than 72 hours ahead of time.



No hazardous materials or electronics should be put with the curbside trash. Brush and tree limbs must also be neatly stacked and tied and no loose trash. Small trash items and leaves should be bagged.

“Everything has gone really well in past years,” said Mike Altman, City of Rifle Operations and Maintenance Supervisor. “Putting stuff out there loose is the only problem we run into. We have to shovel it up or pick up individual pieces. Metal should also be separated out since it is disposed of at a different location.”

People attempting to sidestep the rules also became an issue for officers in 2018.

“We had a huge problem last year with people adding unacceptable items to other people’s piles,” Flores explained. “Please help by keeping watch for this. It is common for people to go take some items from piles and since they are piles of presumably unwanted items this isn’t necessarily an issue. However, if you see anyone adding to the pile who does not appear to be from the adjacent home, please call the non-emergent dispatch number immediately at 970-625-8095. Please try to supply us with a license plate number and description of the vehicle, suspects, location and items being placed. If the opportunity arises to safely take photographs or videos, please do so.”

So how much stuff can you get rid of? The limit is less than 5 cubic yards per residence. To help residents put a visual on what constitutes 5 cubic yards, Altman says it’s 8’x 5’x 3.3’.

There is also a bonus for residents who act quickly. The Rifle Police Department will be handing out a limited number of free TV disposal coupons that can be taken to the dump. These will be distributed on a first come, first served basis and are available Monday through Friday at the Police Department. There is a limit of one per household and you will need to bring proof of residency to receive a coupon.

For more information, call 970-665-6525, check the City websites, Facebook or Twitter pages or pick up a flyer at the Rifle Police Department, 201 East 18th Street.

Rifle Rapport is a periodic article featuring the people and projects of the City of Rifle. If you have suggestions for future articles, please contact Kathy Pototsky at 970-665-6420 or kpototsky@rifleco.org.


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