Friendly reminder of our simple yard waste guidelines as everyone starts to enjoy the warm days ahead!
The City of Des Moines proudly collects yard waste all year long, even in winter months when our neighboring suburbs pause their services!
Participating in our yard waste program helps us reduce waste by recycling grass clippings, leaves, brush, branches and more into Metro Waste Authority's Grow Gold Compost that can be used for gardening, landscaping and soil quality restoration!
It also helps us keep excess nutrients out of our storm drains and waterways.
Have your yard waste ready for us by 7 a.m. in your green-lidded Yard Waste cart or in Compost It! bags—or store-brand bags with a green Compost It! sticker attached—and we'll pick it up at the curb on your collection day, every week of the year!
Join us along with the dedicated staff at the Wastewater Reclamation Authority in congratulating Treatment Manager Larry Hare on his retirement today!
Larry has served the WRA and its 18 member communities in the Des Moines Metro faithfully for over 30 years. Working with our dedicated WRA staff, Larry played a huge role in ensuring that we are responsible stewards of our environment by facilitating treatment of our wastewater.
Colleagues and employees gathered this week to plant a tree with Larry in his honor, a Kousa Dogwood tree that now sits on facility grounds. Part of the WRA's "Roots of Remembrance" program, which plants trees honoring employees with 20 years or more of service, Larry hopes to have this area designated as a butterfly habitat in the future!
We extend our thanks and happiness for Larry as he begins his well-deserved retirement and look forward to having him come check up on his tree very soon!
Read more about Larry's career with the WRA: https://www.dmmwra.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=70
You may know about our SCRUB events, but did you know that we also offer a COMPOST SCRUB? 🍂
Each SCRUB Saturday, Public Works opens the City's Compost Center at 1601 Harriet Street for easy drop-off of leaves, branches, brush, lawn clippings, garden waste, straw, hay and more!
Load up a single-axle trailer, fill your truck bed, or pack any container you have with yard debris and drop it off at Compost SCRUB! We only asked that you take containers back home with you—unless it's a compostable yard waste bag!
This event runs 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. every third Saturday from March through November. and is FREE with proof of Des Moines residence!
Learn more at www.DSM.city/SCRUB!
🌳🌲 TREESURE HUNT ENDS AFTER THURSDAY, MARCH 13!
Enjoy the warm weather and get outside for our Treesure Hunt before storms roll in this weekend!
Our final winter identification video for this year's Treesure Hunt covers a pair of Red Pines at the recently renovated Chesterfield Park!
These towering conifers won't be hard to find—they stand out as the largest two evergreens at Chesterfield.
Stop by Chesterfield Park to see the new Sprayground, walking loop, ping pong table, futsal and basketball courts, along with a brand new playground featuring a toy car track!
Be sure to snap a photo of these trees when you visit, and submit them at DSM.city/TreesureHunt for a chance to win a free tree planting!
Less than a week left to enter our Treesure Hunt! 🔎🌳📸
In this video, we showcase a Kentucky Coffee tree at Union Park! This species hold onto its fruit—brown pods that hold seeds resembling coffee beans—well into winter, so it shouldn't be too hard to find!
Enjoy a stroll around Union Park (one of Des Moines' first parks, established in 1894!) and snap a photo of this Kentucky Coffee tree, and submit it for a chance to win a free tree planting in a Des Moines location of your choosing, including your property!
Entry form and information, including a map to all Skywalk and Park Treesures, is available online at www.DSM.city/TreesureHunt 💚
In exactly one week, the first SCRUB Saturday of 2025 kicks off!
Next Saturday, March 15, Des Moines residents can take advantage of FREE disposal of bulk trash items like furniture, appliances, tires and more at the MWA Metro Central Transfer Station (4198 Delaware Avenue): https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3jR5Eiv1/
As the snow melts away, it may have revealed some leftover leaves, or maybe you're taking care of some late winter tree pruning—we've got a SCRUB for that! Bring excess tree and yard waste to the City's Compost Center (1601 Harriet Street): https://www.facebook.com/share/18y64a84jq/
Both events run 7AM-2PM, just bring your ID or a piece of mail for proof of residence and be sure you're following our SCRUB guidelines—for example, single-axle trailers only—available at DSM.city/SCRUB!
Fun fact: We don't have "Snowplow Drivers!"
Our snowplows are operated by our regular staff from various divisions of Public Works, Parks and Recreation and the Wastewater Reclamation Authority!
When snowfall arrives in Des Moines, these dedicated employees drop what they're doing and climb into one of our 100+ pieces of snow removal equipment to keep our roads clear!
Ride along with Kevin Kasal, one of our arborists with the Forestry Division, and hear about what he enjoys about plowing—and how you can make his and his colleagues' jobs easier by giving them space on the road!
⚠️ STAY WINTER WEATHER READY ⚠️
🌨️ While forecasts may change, Wednesday morning's commute looks to be extremely hazardous. Plan on travel impacts as severe weather rolls in overnight and into the morning.
🚘 Our crews will be out on main roads with plows and spreaders ready to go. While accumulation doesn't look to be very high, the wind will create near blizzard conditions, impacting visibility and creating slick spots.
🏠 If you are able to stay home during severe weather, please do so. If you must travel, make sure you have emergency supplies and take it slow on the roads, making sure to give fellow motorists and our plows plenty of space.
👉 If we issue a snow ordinance with parking restrictions, we will update you here and at DMSnow.org.
🤳 You can also receive parking notifications by texting SNOW to 515-355-8815.
If you live in Des Moines, you've probably been to Gray's Lake, and if you've been to Gray's Lake, you've probably seen these trees!
In this video, we show you how the Swamp White Oak and Flowering Crabapple tree each maintain some easy identifiers through winter!
Find this pair of Treesures at Gray's Lake, snap a pic and submit it online at DSM.city/TreesureHunt for a chance to win a FREE tree planting! Happy hunting!
🌞 It's finally warming up in Des Moines! 🌞
Take advantage of rising temps to venture out for our Treesure Hunt! 🔎🌳
In this video, we discuss how to identify a Bald Cypress tree in winter! Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer—while it's conical shape and feathery, needle-like foliage gives it the look of an evergreen, it turns reddish brown in fall before dropping its "leaves" for the winter.
Find this Bald Cypress at Witmer Park, snap a pic and submit it at DSM.city/TreesureHunt for a chance to win a FREE tree planting! Happy hunting!
Everyone in Des Moines is a winner with Tiny Trees!
Orders for our 2025 Tiny Trees Giveaway are now OPEN at DSM.city/TinyTrees 🌳
Scroll through all nine of this year's species and select up to five (5) FREE Tiny Trees that you'd like to plant on your property this spring!
Help us expand Des Moines' urban forest by adding beauty to your home and growing the natural canopy in your community!
City of Des Moines Public Works
