Trash of all shapes and sizes was loaded into dumpster after dumpster by Charleston city workers this Saturday using waste-handling bulldozers and even their bare hands.

Old couches, broken chairs and seemingly endless supply of trash bags filled the large, blue dumpsters to the brim.

Charleston residents took advantage of the annual Fall Citywide Cleanup.

The city provided roll off dumpsters, which are about 40-yards long, at Coles County Fairgrounds and the City Street Garage at no cost to the residents. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. residents could come and dump their trash for free. However, only Charleston residents and property owners were allowed to participate.

The city holds the cleanup twice a year, once in the fall and again in the spring.

Paul Buerster, the foreman in charge of the cleanup, said Charleston has been doing the cleanup for almost 20 years.

“Years ago, we used to just put dumpsters around town for one day, but we outgrew that,” Buerster said.

He also added that on a normal cleanup day, participants fill about 25 roll off dumpsters.

While not many Eastern students are aware of the cleanup, most residents of Charleston know and take advantage of it.

“People pay for it with their taxes, so they use it,” Buerster said. “Sometimes when we really get going around in the morning we’ll get traffic backed up out to the street.”

While many types of trash were collected, not all types are accepted. The city will not dispose of building materials, construction debris exceeding 1 cubic yard, tires, liquids of any kind, batteries, car parts larger than 1 cubic yard, burnt materials, florescent light tubes, and landscape waste.

However, residents could take their landscape waste to the Leaf and Limb drop-off site on West Madison Ave. Also, household appliances had to be taken to Grose Appliance, located on 2310 W. State Street, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

There are workers for the city stationed at the two dumping sites who make sure everything stays organized and assist residents.

“We help people who can’t get the heavy stuff in the dumpsters and make sure that no one is dumping anything illegal,” said Troy Howell, a laborer for the city.

The cleanup is more popular in the spring, near the time when students start leaving for summer break, Buerster said. Property owners who rent to students often bring old couches, chairs, mattresses and carpeting, he said.

“It’s a good service to the community and it has been well received,” he said.

The Spring Citywide Cleanup will be on June 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the same locations.