|
June 7, 2011 For more information, contact: Rolla Special Waste Collection April 23 was a rainy day, but that didn’t stop area residents from participating in a region-wide special waste collection. From 8 a.m. to noon, some 175 cars dropped off unwanted or worn out items, including 85 computer monitors, 66 desk top personal computers and 107 televisions. When the numbers were tallied, 53,000 pounds of electronics waste and appliances had been diverted from landfills and recycled. The collection was held at the Brewer Science parking lot in Hy-Point Industrial Park, in Rolla. The special waste collection—which combined electronics and appliances into one recycling event—was a partnership effort among the City of Rolla, the Phelps County Commission and Brewer Science, Inc. along with the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Meramec Regional Planning Commission in celebration of Earth Day. Appliances—including stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners and other unwanted white goods—were accepted free of charge. A $5 fee was charged per television for households and $10 for businesses. Computer monitors cost $5 each. 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, keyboards, printers, VCRs, DVD players, telephones, speakers, scanners and radios, were accepted free of charge. The most popular appliances dropped off at the collection were the refrigerator and the dehumidifier; 13 of each were collected. MRPC contracted with Midwest Recycling Center of Crystal City and Park Hills to recycle the appliances and electronics. The majority of those dropping off items at the collection—some 150 cars—were from Phelps County. The remainder came from Crawford, Maries, Pulaski, Dent, Osage, Texas and Franklin counties. 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 contact Tammy Snodgrass at (573) 265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org. |