Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

John Hawley (left) and Andy Brannigan load items on the Midwest Recycling Center truck to be taken for recycling. Items are either repaired, remanufactured or refurbished based on their condition.

OWENSVILLE—Meramec Regional Planning Commission, with funding from the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD), gathered four tons of residential scrap electronics and appliances at a special collection held at LSC Communications in Owensville. Approximately 44 vehicles from within the Ozark Rivers seven-county region – Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington – dropped off items at the collection on April 29.

Brady Wilson, chairman of the ORSWMD, believes these special collections are valued not only as a convenience to local residents, but also as a way to reduce the environmental impact by keeping potentially toxic electronic waste out of landfills.

“I believe the special collections are important to the residents of the communities within our region because it offers them an affordable option for properly disposing of, and recycling the items we tend to refer to as “orphan wastes” or those items that are difficult to find a home for,” Wilson said. “In addition, these collection events help to gather these items which otherwise can often end up in county ditches and streams thereby desecrating the local landscape and the environment.”

Many individuals, who came to the collection, while grateful for the opportunity to unload their items, were curious where the items were going.

“The certified collection contractor, Midwest Recycling Center in this case, distributes the collected items to either be repaired/remanufactured or refurbished and recycles rare earth element components,” Jill Hollowell, environmental program specialist with Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC), said. “The last resort is responsible destruction and that assures contaminants in electronics, such as mercury, lead and arsenic, never pollute our air or water.”

The last collection held in 2013, hosted by RR Donnelley (at the same location) served 87 households and collected 7.71 tons of electronics. Hollowell attributed the decrease in 2017 to thunderstorms moving through the area.

The most frequently recycled items were televisions and computer monitors. Other items included computer printers, vacuums, weed eaters and various small cord or battery operated electronic devices.

The next Ozark Rivers collection is being held in St. Robert on August 26 at the St. Robert Community Center, 114 J.H. Williamson Drive.

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 promotes awareness and education to increase waste reduction and recycling efforts 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, or Jill Hollowell at 573-265-2993. Follow Ozark Rivers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ORSWMD or on our website at ozarkrivers.org for future collection dates and waste management grants.

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/.