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Oct. 7, 2011
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Bonnie Prigge or Tammy Snodgrass, (573) 265-2993
St. Robert special waste collection nets 276 pieces of electronic waste, 20 appliances
70 cars served
Area residents participated in a region-wide special waste collection Sept. 17 in St. Robert despite the rainy weather. From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., some 70 cars dropped off unwanted or worn out items including 74 televisions, 48 computer monitors and 28 desk top personal computers.
When the numbers were tallied, 9,650 pounds of electronics waste and appliances had been diverted from landfills and recycled.
he collection was held at the St. Robert Transfer Station and Recycling Center, in St. Robert.
The special waste collection—which combined electronics and appliances into one recycling event—was a partnership effort among the City of St. Robert, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Meramec Regional Planning Commission.
Appliances—including stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers, air conditioners and other unwanted goods—were accepted free of charge.
A $5 fee was charged per television for households and $10 for businesses. Computer monitors cost $5 each. Computers were not accepted from businesses. The actual disposal cost of a television is $10, 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. Televisions were the most popular item for recycling with 74 received.
MRPC contracted with Midwest Recycling Center to recycle the appliances and electronics.
The majority of those dropping off items at the collection were from Pulaski County. The remainder came from Crawford, Maries and Phelps counties.
If you missed this collection, the next electronic waste collection will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 15 at the City of Salem’s S/W construction parking lot at the corner of Third and Grand in Salem.
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 Nongluk Tunyavanich at (573) 265-2993 or by email at nongluk@meramecregion.org.
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