Hibbing’s Clean-Up Community Days return with bulky-item drop-off

Tires, mattresses, televisions and scrap metal had a free drop-off window at Hibbing’s Stuntz Garage as the city and the Hibbing Police Department ran the fourth annual Clean-Up Community Days. Residents could also bring appliances, garbage MSW and general demolition debris to 1100 E. 25th St. on Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while paint, oil, batteries, yard waste and other hazardous waste were not accepted.

The event was built for a practical need that shows up in garages, basements and backyards across Hibbing. Not everyone has a truck, trailer or a place to take bulky waste, and the city’s cleanup gave people a short, organized window to clear out items that are hard to move on their own. Tyler Schwerzler said it stood out when residents brought materials for a neighbor or family friend who could not transport them, turning the cleanup into a small act of mutual aid as well as a trash drop.

City officials said the goal was to beautify neighborhoods and help revitalize the community, and the effort also fit a larger public-safety and code-enforcement push. Schwerzler said the cleanup gave residents a chance to clean up properties before blight enforcement ramped up, making the annual collection more than a convenience service. In a city like Hibbing, where cluttered yards and packed garages can linger through a long winter, the timing offered a clear break before summer projects and neighborhood maintenance moved into full swing.

The scale of the cleanup has grown quickly. Hibbing said last year’s event collected 90,000 pounds of material, which the city described as a 25-ton increase from the year before. In 2024, the second annual cleanup collected 35 tons of items. That kind of jump suggests strong demand for a citywide place to unload old household debris without sending it to an alley, a vacant lot or an illegal dump site.

The cleanup also depended on volunteers. The city’s volunteer form asked whether helpers could lift up to 50 pounds and requested a signed waiver, underscoring that the event relied on residents willing to direct traffic, handle donations and keep the line moving. For Hibbing, the result was not just a one-weekend cleanup, but a visible reminder that neighborhood upkeep still works best when the city and residents do it together.