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Remains of a Carolina Laurel tree felled in my back yardAlan Kandel<\/p>\nBusiness is picking up. In Fresno, you can take that to the bank. Figuratively, of course. At any rate, at least once a year, anyhoo. That service goes by the name \u201cOperation Cleanup\u201d.<\/p>\n
Not only was the program started circa 1994, it takes roughly five-and-a-half million city dollars to keep the service running annually.<\/p>\n
During this time, it can be a real scramble. Just this morning I heard some chainsawing going on in the neighborhood. A last-minute effort to no doubt get that overgrown tree trimmed in time or removed entirely before pickup day, which, in the neighborhood where I reside in northwest Fresno is scheduled for August 25th.<\/p>\n
As far as what is acceptable for curbside pickup, tree limbs (no stumps), general household discards (no electronics, washers, dryers or refrigerators or tires), old tables, chairs, torn or worn clothing, food waste, yard waste, trash, are all accepted.<\/p>\n
This year, like most, the yard got a once going-over. It is at this time during this event that the yard shrubbery gets a good trimming, the clippings being placed curbside.<\/p>\n
But then again, there was a little extra. A tree. Gone! Cut down to size, of course.<\/p>\n
I chopped down the Carolina Laurel which was notorious for leaving all kinds of droppings (seeds) which would result in new offspring growing if left alone.<\/p>\n
Remains of a Carolina Laurel tree felled in my back yardAlan Kandel<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve included two pictures here of the tree coming out and the lower trunk and rootball (pictured below still in the ground) which has since been removed, the hole filled in with ground around packed (tamped down) and leveled.<\/p>\n
![\"Tree](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/A23138C3-2590-4C61-92F1-3F61E2132575-rotated.jpeg\")
Tree stump left behindAlan Kandel<\/p>\n
Others in the neighborhood, meanwhile, I see have set out old furniture, some of it not staying very long. There are people driving throughout the neighborhood looking for so-called \u201cfinds\u201d, picking up such stuff up and carting it off.<\/p>\n
I remember one year someone in the area was either getting rid of a juke box or soda machine \u2014 I don\u2019t recall which. You know what they say: \u201cOne person\u2019s trash is another\u2019s treasure\u201d. Seeing\u2019s believing. I\u2019m a believer.<\/p>\n
On cleanup day, meaning pickup day really, an armada of debris-clearing equipment is summoned. There are front-end loaders, vehicles that resemble fork lifts that have attached to them what look like giant clamps that squeeze the debris between the jaws and move and\/or raise the items to transfer say to a flatbed or dump truck. Also employed are shredders to shred tree limbs turning such into sawdust. And, on top of all of this are your everyday regular trash or garbage trucks. Pulling up the rear, so to speak, are the street sweepers which provide the finishing touch.<\/p>\n
As far as where \u201cOperation Cleanup\u201d lands in ranking order where waste collection is concerned, let\u2019s just say it\u2019s nothing to sneeze at and leave it at that.<\/p>\n
\u201cOperation Cleanup\u201d: It\u2019s quite the program!<\/p>\n
\tWe’ll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough.<\/p>\n
We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet.<\/p>\n
\t\tPower matters.<\/p>\n