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For more information, contact: Special Waste Collection Nets 667 Tires, 1054 Pieces Of Electronic Waste April 12 was a cold and dreary day, but that didn’t stop area residents from participating in a region-wide special waste collection. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., some 305 cars dropped off nearly 1,975 pieces of unwanted or worn out items, including 677 tires, 269 computer monitors, 145 appliances and 107 televisions. When the numbers were tallied, 25,050 pounds of electronics waste had been diverted from landfills, and 26,160 pounds of appliances were recycled. The collection was held at the Brewer Science parking lot in Hy-Point Industrial Park, Rolla. Computer Recycling of Springfield, the contractor hired to handle the electronic waste, worked most of Monday, April 14, to transport the long, heaping pile of electronics that remained after trucks were filled on Saturday. The special waste collection—which combined tires, electronics and appliances into one recycling event—was a partnership effort among the city of Rolla, Brewer Science, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Meramec Regional Planning Commission and the Phelps County Commission. While the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District has sponsored several events in the past, this was by far the largest to date, said Tammy Snodgrass, environmental programs manager for Meramec Regional Planning Commission and Ozark Rivers administrator. Appliances—including stoves, refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, hot water heaters and other unwanted white goods—were accepted free of charge. Fees were charged for tires with Ozark Rivers covering $2.50 of the actual disposal fee on every tire. A $10 fee was also charged per television. The actual disposal cost of a television is $20, and the solid waste district subsidized half the cost through a grant. Other electronics, such as microwaves, computer monitors, CPUs, keyboards, printers, VCRs, DVD players, telephones, speakers, scanners and radios, were accepted free of charge. The most popular appliance dropped off at the collection was the refrigerator; 40 were collected. The most popular electronics dropped off was the computer monitor, with 269 discarded for recycling. PSC Metals of Cuba hauled off the appliances for recycling. The majority of those dropping off items at the collection—some 250 cars—were from Phelps County. The remainder came from Crawford, Maries, Pulaski, Dent, Gasconade and Laclede counties. Planners say that the event was so successful because of all the people working together to make it happen. The city of Rolla hosted and planned the collection, helped promote it and Brady Wilson, and wife Julie, worked the event. “Brady loaded a lot of tires,” commented Nongluk Tunyavanich, MRPC environmental specialist who helped organize the event. "This collection event was another huge success and a great example of what can be done through cooperative efforts,” Brady Wilson said. “All of the entities involved and the numerous volunteers combined for a public/private partnership solely for the betterment of the community and the environment. Brewer Science and their employees have been big supporters of these environmental initiatives. It is my hope that these types of outreach events continue to grow and increase the public's awareness of the importance of proper management of our resources and wastes,” Wilson concluded. Michael Mathews coordinated Brewer Science’s involvement in the collection. The local company provided the use of its parking lot, a forklift for loading materials and traffic cones to direct traffic. “Brewer Science’s parking lot is ideal for this type of collection,” said Tunyavanich. “It is large enough that we can have stations for each type of waste, and cars can drive to them. The large parking lot with a lot of volunteer help is key to the success of a large collection involving several types of waste,” she added. More than 35 Brewer Science employees volunteered their time to assist with the collection. The company also provided donuts and pizza for volunteers. Mathews also helped with promotion through emails. “Brewer Science is passionate about recycling. It is a part of our corporate culture and we are delighted to help facilitate this opportunity for the region.” Loretta Wallis, Global Relations for Brewer Science, commented. “Our employees generously shared their time with the community to make this waste collection hugely successful.” The Phelps County Commission provided gloves for the volunteers, and Ben McWilliams, trash patrol officer, helped spread the word on the event. The county also removed six oversized tires from the collection. The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District, through its grant funds from the Department of Natural Resources, subsidized the cost of the collection and covered costs of paid advertising and provided signage for the location. Meramec Regional Planning Commission prepared the advertising and press releases on the event and distributed them across the seven counties served by the solid waste district. Tunyavanich helped organize the event, and she and Amy McMillen, another MRPC environmental programs specialist, worked the event. “We are glad that area residents took the time and effort to clean up old tires and appliances,” Snodgrass said. “Abandoned tires collect water and become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which can carry the West Nile disease. Old appliances—especially refrigerators and freezers—can also be dangerous because children like to play in them and can easily be trapped and suffocate.” Snodgrass thanked all the partners involved in hosting the collections. “The more items we can recycle, the fewer items get sent to landfills or dumped on our county roads,” she noted. The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their cities. The solid waste district is tasked with reducing by 40 percent the amount of waste generated for disposal. Using its tipping fee dollars, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District used a grant to help subsidize disposal costs and cover the costs of the collection, including staff time to coordinate the events and to advertise them. Area residents that have questions about recycling can contact Snodgrass at (573) 265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.
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