From shoreline to stormwater: Weedoo brings innovation to public works
Article and photos submitted by Weedoo Boats Municipalities across the country are facing growing waterway maintenance challenges. Invasive aquatic weeds, stormwater blockages, shoreline overgrowth, sediment buildup and floating debris are becoming more difficult and expensive to manage. At the same … More from our cover sponsor →
Turning ideas into action: Community solutions for a zero-waste future
When San Jose, Calif., city leaders launched the Zero Waste Innovations Grant (ZWIG) program in fall 2025, they were looking for more than new recycling initiatives. They were looking for fresh ideas from the people who experience waste challenges firsthand. … Continue reading →
Sustainable opportunity: Salem, Massachusetts works toward a greener future
Begun in 2008, as Salem Recycles, to reduce trash tonnage in the city of Salem, Zero Waste Salem — as it was rebranded last year — is dedicated to helping residents reduce, reuse, compost and recycle. According to Alisa Cherkosova, … Continue reading →
Shikha Gupta: Variety & challenges of solid waste service invigorate the Raleigh director
Raleigh, N.C.’s, director of solid waste services began her work in December. So, eight months later, how does Shikha Gupta feel? “It’s going very well,” Gupta said. “Starting in January meant jumping into a lot of learning all at once … Continue reading →
Roswell, New Mexico is a welcoming place for Earthlings and Aliens
In early July 1947, New Mexico rancher W.W. “Mack” Brazel and a young friend were en route to check on their sheep when they came across a wide patch of wreckage consisting of what looked like rubber, tinfoil, paper and … Continue reading →
New public safety training facility highlights Prattville’s commitment to safety
It is a sad reality that in the current enlightened age, so many tragedies of large-scale proportions still occur. Active shooters haunt school campuses and malls, fires rage out of control at public venues, vehicular accidents take the lives of … Continue reading →
Jefferson City puts focus on abandoned vehicles
Operation Spring Cleanup aimed at managing the increasing number of complaints reported to both the Jefferson City Police Department and the city’s code enforcement, said Molly Bryan, public information coordinator for the city. The capital of Missouri, like many cities … Continue reading →
Iowa City’s compost facility upgrades will increase capacity by over 5,000 tons
With Iowa’s ban on yard waste in landfills for many years, the Iowa City landfill has long had a commercial compost facility for yard waste and, after amending the permit in 2009, for food waste as well. However, it was … Continue reading →
Illegal dumping is a messy problem for municipalities
Illegal dumping is a problem that every municipality has to contend with, whether you live in a tourist area like Dare County, N.C., an urban area with some blight like Flint, Mich., or a small town like Milford, Ind. People … Continue reading →
Seeing the storm coming: How Frost Solutions is changing what a winter forecast can do
Article and photos submitted by Frost Solutions For most public works departments, “the forecast” still means a regional outlook from the National Weather Service, maybe a call to a neighboring county and a supervisor’s gut feeling based on how the … Continue reading →
Sideshow Prevention Program draws on collaboration for safer streets
By LAUREN CAGGIANO | The Municipal Sideshows, once a niche activity involving cars spinning doughnuts at public intersections, have evolved into large-scale, organized events that disrupt traffic and pose significant safety risks. Oakland, Calif., has embarked on an inter-departmental initiative … Continue reading →
Cambridge, Mass., Department of Public Works collaboration brings art, information to community
By NICHOLETTE CARLSON | The Municipal The Cambridge, Mass., Department of Public Works and the Adius Arts Initiative teamed up a few years ago in a unique idea to bring art and a large, planned reconstruction project to local neighborhoods. … Continue reading →
Pendleton, Ore., won several sustainability awards
By DENISE FEDOROW | The Municipal The city of Pendleton, Ore., has won several awards for its solar canopy project at the wastewater treatment plant, but Assistant Public Works Director Kyle Willman has no plans to stop with that project. … Continue reading →
Friendly faces everywhere: The real South Park
By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal It is the historic mining community that inspired one of the longest-running animated programs in American television history. However, South Park, Colo., bears little resemblance to its cartoon counterpart. In fact, it’s a geographical … Continue reading →
Newberry, Fla., preserves the past, plans forward with municipal hub
By Teresa Nicodemus | The Municipal After six years of planning and construction, the city of Newberry, Fla., a fast-growing rural community, has consolidated operations under one roof. The new 12,000-square-foot, two-story City Hall sits at 25493 NW 1st Ave., … Continue reading →
Harrisonburg gets community involved in environmental benefits with tree planting
An urban tree canopy analysis was performed in 2018, showing that Harrisonburg, Va., had an urban tree canopy of only about 26%. This was partially because of the history of agricultural land in the city as well as a higher … Continue reading →
Duluth draws tourists and residents alike
At the extreme western edge of Lake Superior, along the eastern border of Minnesota, lies the city of Duluth. About 87,000 people live here in the “Zenith City of the Unsalted Seas.” Its history goes back to the Ojibwa and … Continue reading →
Construction continues on FishPass, a one-of-a-kind fish sorting dam
FishPass is the first of its kind, not only in Traverse City, Mich., but in the world, to replace and improve a dam. The project is a large partnership between the city of Traverse City, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, U.S. … Continue reading →
Brentwood Public Works leads cleanup and recovery efforts
Dale Biggerstaff said it was the kind of event that he’s proud to have in his career portfolio — but one he never wants to experience again. As the public works director for the city of Brentwood, Tenn., Biggerstaff knew … Continue reading →
