Lewiston crews collected 3.2 percent less garbage during the first week of spring cleanup this year.

“Last year was a big year,” Assistant Public Works Director Dave Jones said. “We had a light winter and people were out earlier with all their stuff. That’s what I think.”

Crews last year collected 870 tons of assorted rubbish – including couches, old refrigerators and broken tree limbs. That was the heaviest collection in four years, Jones said. The year before, crews collected 706 tons of rubbish.

Crews collected 185 tons of rubbish during the week of April 14 this year, down six tons compared to the first week of cleanup in 2002. Results from last week were not available, Jones said. Cleanup continues this week, and is scheduled to wrap up the week of May 5.

Auburn Public Works Director Bob Belz said his crew won’t know how much rubbish they’ve collected until they finish cleanup, some time next week. But crews are reporting fewer tires this year and fewer broken branches.

“I think we’re finally seeing an end to the spike in brush collections that started after the ice storm,” Belz said. “I guess it’s taken this long to get it all cleaned up.”

staylor@sunjournal.com