Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ROLLA – A special recycling collection for electronics, appliances and tires will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 30, in the Brewer Science, Inc., parking lot located at 2401 Brewer Drive, Hypoint Industrial Park in Rolla near the interchange of Route V and Interstate 44.

The collection is for residential items only; no materials from businesses will be accepted.

Stoves, washers, dryers, microwaves and other appliances, including refrigerant appliances, will be collected free of charge. Free electronics include computer CPUs, keyboards, printers, VCRs, phones, power tools, garbage disposals, curling irons or anything with an electrical cord.

A $10 fee will be charged for each television, and $5 for each computer monitor collected. Other fees are assessed for tire collections that include passenger at a $1.50 each, truck tires at $5 each and tractor tires at $10 each. Program participants are required to unload items themselves.

“Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District subsidizes disposal costs to reward responsible citizens who bring their household items to special collections. Everyone needs to take responsibility for recycling rather than sending valuable resources to landfills. Tires, appliances and electronic parts have value. They need to return to the industrial stream and be used again and special collections, like this one at Brewer Science, provides that opportunity,” said Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC assistant director and environmental programs manager.

Last September, the recycling collection event brought in 1,164 items and the target for this collection is to hit 1,500 items.  This is a great opportunity to do some spring cleaning.

The collection is open to any households in the Ozark Rivers District, including Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties. For further inquiries, please contact Jill Hollowell, MRPC at 573-265-2993 or jhollowell@meramecregion.org.

For those unable to participate in the Rolla collection, there will be an additional collection for electronics, metals and tires in Maries County, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The city of Rolla, Brewer Science, Inc., Phelps County Commission and Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD), in partnership with Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), are offering the collection.

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 MDNR, involves intense education and increased recycling efforts and opportunities in member counties and cities.

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 21, 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. For the latest news and events from ORSWMD and MRPC, visit www.meramecregion.org or find it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion.