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Sept. 5, 2008 Mark Your Calendar! Do you have an old refrigerator or broken-down washer on the back porch or in the back yard? Do you have old tires beside the garage? Wondering what to do with that old computer? There’s finally an answer. Meramec Regional Planning Commission, in partnership with the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and several local governments, will offer electronics, appliance and waste tire collections in the following locations:
Appliances—including stoves, refrigerators, freezers, washers, dryers, hot water heaters and other unwanted white goods—will be accepted free of charge. Fees will be charged for tire and televisions. Passenger tires will be $1.50 each; truck tires will be $5 each; and tractor tires will be $10 each. Televisions will be $10 each. You must unload the items yourself. “These are one-time collections, so now is the time to take advantage of the opportunity,” explained Nongluk Tunyavanich, MRPC’s environmental programs specialist, who is coordinating the events in partnership with the local governments. “We combined our electronics collection with our appliance and waste tire collection and it worked extremely well. It’s sort of your one-stop recycling shop.” “Abandoned tires collect water and become breeding grounds for mosquitos, which can carry the West Nile disease,” explained Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC environmental programs manager. “Old appliances—especially refrigerators and freezers—can also be dangerous because children like to play in them and can easily be trapped and suffocate.” The collection is open to any households in the Ozark Rivers District, including Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. The solid waste district is tasked with reducing by 40 percent the amount of waste generated for disposal. The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District is using its own grant program, funded through landfill user tipping fees, to sponsor these collections. MRPC is working with a scrap dealer in the region to properly handle appliances, and tires will be recycled into tire-derived fuel. A Springfield company will recycle electronics. The city of Potosi and the Washington County Commission are assisting with the Washington County collection. The Maries County Commission is hosting and sponsoring the Maries County collection. The city of Salem and the Dent County Commission are assisting with the Dent County collection. The solid waste management district will also have educational information available at the collection that will help residents deal with other types of waste, including household hazardous waste. The Ozark River District, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the cities of Rolla and St. Robert, have established satellite HHW drop-off disposal facilities. Persons needing to dispose of household hazardous waste can make an appointment with the Rolla Recycling Center, 573-364-6693, or and the St. Robert Transfer Station, 573-336-5155. Area residents that have questions about the collection can contact Snodgrass or Tunyavanich at (573) 265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org or nongluk@meramecregion.org. |