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April 7, 2008 Waste Tire, Appliance, Electronics Collection Set For Saturday In Rolla If you have an old refrigerator or broken-down washer on the back porch, old tires beside the garage or an old computer in the basement, Saturday is the day to clean house. The city of Rolla in partnership with Brewer Science, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Meramec Regional Planning Commission and the Phelps County Commission will offer an electronics, appliance and waste tire collection from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 at the Brewer Science parking lot, located in the Hy-Point Industrial Park at 2401 Brewer Drive, in Rolla. The Hy-Point Industrial Park is located at Interstate 44 and Exit 189/Highway V. 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 tires and televisions: Passenger tires will be $1.50 each; truck tires will be $5 each; and tractor tires will be $10 each. The fee for televisions is $10 each. Microwaves, computer monitors, CPUs, keyboards, printers, VCRs, cell phones and other electronics are accepted free of charge. You must unload the items yourself. “This is a one-time collection of tires, electronics and appliances, so now is the time to take advantage of the opportunity. Once again, we are combining our electronics collection with our appliance and waste tire collection, so we hope this gives residents an opportunity to properly dispose of more unwanted waste items,” explained Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC’s environmental programs manager. Snodgrass pointed out that abandon tires can collect water and serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes. “We have had plenty of rain to accommodate mosquito breeding,” said Snodgrass. She added that refrigerators and freezers, sitting abandoned, can be dangerous because children like to play in them and can easily be trapped and suffocate. “Now is the time to get rid of this unnecessary hazard,” said Snodgrass. 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 and Missouri Department of Natural Resources are covering some of the collection costs. In addition to providing the location, Brewer Science is providing some 20 volunteers, a forklift for loading materials and will be providing lunch for volunteers. Brewer Science Division Manager Michael Mathews is coordinating the company’s involvement. PSC Metals will properly handle appliances, and Missouri Vocational Enterprises will recycle the tires into tire-derived fuel. Computer Recycling Center of Springfield will recycle electronics. Area residents that have questions about the collection can contact Nongluk Tunyavanich at (573) 265-2993 or by email at nongluk@meramecregion.org. |