AUBURN — City officials want to know how many people will be leaving bulky waste curbside in May so they can plan how long spring cleanup collections will take.

Denis D’Auteuil, deputy public works director, said the city will use the registration information to plot routes and timing for the collections, scheduled for May 7-18.

“We really want to understand where the bulk of the stuff is going to be,” D’Auteuil said. “We can be a much more efficient if we have a little knowledge, and it’s a big way the community can help us.”

People interested in having their bulky items, yard waste, old furniture and appliances collected should call the Public Works Department at 333-6670 Monday through Friday a between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

They can also register by sending an email to [email protected].

There is no charge for the collections, D’Auteuil said.

“It’s also helpful because it gives us a way to communicate back to people,” D’Auteuil said. “If collections take too long on one street and we get delayed, we can email the people that are waiting to let them know. For us, it’s like a cherry on top of the cake.”

The city will take wood waste, brush and branches — butt ends must be left facing the street — furniture, rugs, mattresses, small appliances, metal waste, washers, dryers and small appliances. Hazardous materials won’t be collected curbside, but can be taken to the Environmental Depot at the Lewiston’s landfill.

Old car batteries, propane tanks and recyclable metal can be taken directly to the Mid-Maine Waste Action Corp. on Goldthwaite Road free of charge. MMWAC will also take freon units from old air conditioners and tires for a fee.

The curbside collections will be linked to the normal trash collection day. Residents who have trash collected on Mondays should have their spring cleanup rubbish curbside by 7 a.m. May 7. Residents who have their trash collected on Tuesdays should have their trash curbside by 7 a.m. May 9 and residents with Wednesday collections should have theirs curbside by 7 a.m. May 11.

Residents with Thursday trash pick up should have their spring cleanup trash out by 7 a.m. May 15 and those with Friday collections should  be ready by 7 a.m. May 17.

[email protected]