Department of Public Works

Under Wisconsin law, medical sharps can not be disposed of in the regular garbage. You must place the sharps in a container marked sharps with the cover on and bring it to Appleton Medical Center or St. Elizabeth Hospital emergency rooms.

Latex paint can be placed in your normal garbage provided you take the lid off, dry the paint up, and put it in a plastic bag. To speed up the drying process you can mix sand, cat litter or oil dry to the paint. Oil based paint has to be brought down to one of the Household Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep drop off sites. You may call 920.832.5277 for information.

Much money has been invested in our city streets. Various types of maintenance activities are performed on the pavements to extend their life and protect the investment that has been made. Crack filling is one maintenance activity that is performed for that reason. The operation helps reduce the amount of water and “incompressibles” (dirt and stone) that enter the pavement cracks and joints.

The street department is often required to begin the crack filling operation at 4:00 am. This is done for various reasons. The lack of traffic at this time allows the crew to work safer and more productively. Also, there are fewer parked vehicles on the pavement, the operation is more effective, and the pavement can be opened to traffic sooner.

Containers shall be placed at the curb in the residential district or at the alley line if there is an alley and at ground level at the rear of business places not more than 24 hours prior to the time of collection.

The Disposal Site is available to residents (via access card) from 6:30 AM-8:00 PM, seven days per week. More info here.

You may bring your antifreeze to one of the Household Hazardous Waste Clean Sweep drop off sites. You may call 920.832.5277 for information.

If a sanitary or storm sewer at your property is backed up, contact the street department at 920.766.6337. Please be advised that the vast majority of sanitary sewer backups are clogged by laterals (i.e. the pipe that connects private property with the public sewer main in the street), which is the responsibility of the property owner.

There are some simple things you can do to help prevent sewage from backing up into your home:

1. Don’t treat your toilet like a garbage can. The only things you should flush down the toilet are human waste and toilet paper. Don’t flush items like diapers, wipes, cigarette butts, paper towels, facial tissues, or personal hygiene products down the toilet — even if they say they’re “flushable.”
2. Throw grease and other clog-causing materials in the garbage, not down the sink. That includes bacon fat, coffee grinds, and food waste.
3. Install a backwater valve. A backwater valve (sometimes called a backflow valve or backflow preventer) could reduce the likelihood that sewage will flow into your basement when the main sewer system begins to back up. It allows water from your toilets, sinks, and bathtubs to flow out of your home — but if water begins to flow backwards, the flap on the backwater valve will close and stop it. While backwater valves aren’t suitable for every home, consider having your plumbing system inspected by a professional to find out if your home qualifies.

The street department takes care of the decorative lighting only. You may call the utility company at 920.766.5721 for all other lighting questions.