Fall is here, meaning it's time to clean up before winter snow covers everything.

Bismarck is holding its semi-annual Cleanup Week from Monday to Sept. 29, and will more than double the number of employees assigned to garbage detail.

Refuse and debris not normally collected by sanitation crews is given a green light during the week and residents are asked to place these items for special pickup at the usual point of collection by 8 a.m. of the regularly scheduled pickup day.

Tires, furniture, appliances and yard debris (leaves, grass, branches, etc.) can be put out for pickup. The items should be limited to things two men can lift, tree branches cut into 4-foot lengths and tied into bundles and loose materials that are bagged or tied in bundles.

"We'll be sending out extra trucks to pick up the bigger items," landfill supervisor Joe Keeler said. "People have already started putting thing out but we won't touch them until next week. We'll be putting on 16 extra people to help out with the work."

The city also will be taking tires that will be later taken to Waste-Not Recycling and shredded.

Crews will not be picking up those items considered hazardous materials such as oil, paint, weed killer and other chemicals. These items can be brought to the Public Works building, 601 S. 26th St., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 29 for disposal.

This likely will be the last Household Hazardous Waste Roundup, according to Keeler. A new collection center for hazardous materials at the landfill is nearly complete and should be in operation by next spring.

"The biomass burner is not quite ready yet," Keeler said. "This facility will just be for Bismarck residents and not for commercial or industrial use."

Also on Sept. 29, which is National Public Lands Day, the North Dakota Dirt Riders will be holding "Desert Cleanup Day" at the Kimball Bottoms south of Bismarck. Work will begin at 9 a.m.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is providing the garbage sacks and the Dirt Riders are providing the manpower, according to spokesperson Jason Lueder.

Last year the group filled a trailer with refuse which included a demolished baby grand piano, car parts and a large assortments of bottles, cans, glass and plastic.

"We stick to the trails and the beach for the cleanup," Lueder said. "You don't have to be a dirt rider to help out. If you use the area at all, feel free to give a hand."

Last year the Dirt Riders, also known as the North Dakota Off-Road Vehicle Association, received the "Governor's Take Pride In America" award for its cleanup effort at the Desert.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 701-250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)