Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

Individuals unload items at the 2013 Owensville Special Collection located at LSC Communications. A total of 7.71 tons of recyclable materials was collected at the event.

OWENSVILLE­—A special waste collection for electronics and appliances will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 29 in the parking lot of LSC Communications, 1005 Commercial Drive, Owensville, MO.

The collection is for household items only – no materials from businesses will be accepted.

Stoves, washers, dryers, hot water heaters, and other appliances will be collected free of charge. Free electronics also include computer components, keyboards, hair dryers, VCR/DVD players, cell phones or anything that runs on a cord or battery. Oil and gas must be removed from tanks of any items such as push mowers, weed eaters, etc. Please note the following items will NOT be accepted: VHS & Data tapes; floppy disks; transformers, capacitors or ballasts not clearly marked “No PCBs”; smoke detectors; thermostats; medical waste, gas containers such as Freon, oxygen, nitrous oxide; anything leaking oil or acid, such as batteries; broken ink or toner cartridges; alkaline batteries; broken CRTS, TVs or monitors.

A $10 fee will be charged for each TV, computer monitor, refrigerated appliance or item with Freon brought to the collection.

For more information on what is and is not accepted, please contact MRPC.

“Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) subsidizes those costs when it can, but citizens should take responsibility for the solid waste they generate,” Tammy Snodgrass, Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) assistant director and environmental programs, Manager said. “That’s why the district charges. They simply do not have the local grant money to cover the cost of the entire collection.”

LSC Communications has offered to donate $5 towards the recycling fee of an individual who brings five or more canned goods to be donated to Helping Hands Outreach Center of Gasconade County.

According to its website, LSC Communications’ practices are built around the concept that sustainability does not involve making a choice between being cost-effective and being conscious of environmental impacts. It integrates the two.

“We at LSC Communications are proud to partner with MRPC, the Owensville food bank and the residents of our area to support this recycling effort to help make our local environment cleaner, healthier, safer and an even more beautiful place to live,” Richard Dunn, vice president of manufacturing in Owensville, said.

Program participants are required to unload the items themselves. 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 the amount of waste that ends up in a landfill by 40 percent.

LSC Communications and MRPC, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and ORSWMD, are offering the April 29 collection.

For more information or questions, contact Jill Hollowell at MRPC at 573-265-2993 Ext. 109 or at jhollowell@meramecregion.org.

For those unable to participate in the Owensville collection, mark your calendars for other collection dates and sites, including May 20 at Brewer Science in Rolla, Aug. 29 at the community center in St. Robert and Sept. 30 in Salem at the corner of 3rd and Grand.

The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. The district’s strategy for solid waste reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by Missouri Department of Natural Resources involves education and to reduce solid waste in member counties and cities. MRPC provides administration of the district and assists with a variety of implementation projects.

For more information about ORSWMD or waste reduction and recycling opportunities in the Ozark Rivers area, contact Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC environmental programs manager, at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.  Additional information can be found at www.ozarkrivers.org.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 25, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.orgor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.