City crews were working in Calgary communities on the weekend to clean up all the debris from the September snow storm and say they have made great progress in those areas that were hit the hardest.

Crews from Parks, Waste & Recycling Services, Roads, Water and Alberta Environment & Sustainable Resource Development removed tree branches and debris from streets and lanes in Renfrew, Bridgeland, Riverside, Crescent Heights and Rosedale.

They also tackled broken and damaged trees in the communities of Lake Bonavista, Acadia, Scarborough, Hounsfield Heights and Briar Hill.

“We started on Saturday in the communities with the greatest amount of damage from the storm and are already making great progress,” said Nico Bernard, Tactical Operations Centre Manager. “Our goal is to do one complete sweep of the streets and lanes in all storm-affected communities to remove as much debris as possible before the next snowfall.”

Crews are using rear-loader garbage trucks and tandem trucks to pick up the pieces and say city landfills have received 7.6 million kilograms of tree debris for mulching from more than 14,000 loads so far.

“It’s amazing what a couple days of snow can do, especially in the city, I think I heard 80 percent of the trees are broken or needing to come down so there’s lots of work,” said worker Robert West. “We’re trying to get as much done as we can in the daylight that we have.”

The City says its goal is to complete one sweep of every heavily impacted community before the snow falls.

Citizens are asked to:

  • Remove vehicles from streets and back alleys in targeted communities so crews have enough space to work safely
  • Stack tree debris neatly as close to the edge of their property without impeding roads, pathways or sidewalks and to watch for signs that show the streets where crews are working.
  • Bring branches not collected during the initial sweep to any of The City’s landfills or 32 Leaf & Pumpkin drop-off locations free of charge and use paper yard waste bags as they can be mulched along with the other material.
  • Do not mix tree debris with garbage or put in plastic bags.

The City will post information HERE on the communities where crews are working along with those that have received a complete sweep.