Cape gears up for spring cleanup

Cape Girardeau can be a trashy place in mid-April with junk piled high along city streets.

But city officials don't mind. It's all part of the city's weeklong spring cleanup that gives residents a chance to get rid of all those broken down couches, old appliances, clothes and other junk.

The annual spring cleanup will be held April 14-18. City crews hauled away more than 970 tons of trash a year ago or 854 tons more than an average week. The haul included nearly 800 tons of refuse, 89 tons of discarded appliances and 88 tons of brush, limbs and yard waste, officials said.

Pam Sander, solid waste coordinator for the city, expects city crews will haul away at least that much again this year. "It is amazing what people have collected," she said.

City crews take the refuse to the transfer station for hauling to a Dexter, Mo., area landfill. The city pays a recycling company to take the appliances for use as scrap metal. "Right now, there is no profit in it for us," she said.

Yard waste collected

The yard waste is turned into compost which is stockpiled in Arena Park and offered free to area residents who want it.

Sander said spring cleanup is a big job. Last year, the city had 69 public works employees, including 19 sanitation workers, picking up trash during cleanup week.

A similar work force is expected to hit the streets this year.

City officials welcome the cleanup effort, but they say it comes at a cost of nearly $90,000 for everything from wages to equipment and disposal costs.

For some area residents, it's also a chance for a bargain.

People pick through the curbside trash in search of a working television, some usable kitchen chairs or other items that they can find for the taking.

"We really don't encourage that," Sander said. "It can cause a traffic hazard and it makes our job tough when we get there and the trash is scattered."

Some people rip open trash bags in search of a bargain, leaving clothes scattered all over the curb, she said.

Margaret Shell, who lives on Masters Drive, said she and her neighbors annually drag junk out to the street.

"You get rid of all that junk that you don't know what to do with," she said.

A mattress and an air conditioning unit are among the trash she plans to set out at the curb this time.

Shell said people show up late at night with flashlights to scavenge through the junk. "I've done it myself," said Shell, who searches for bargains each year along some of the city's wealthier streets.

The cleanup effort comes with some restrictions. Only residential customers can put out the trash. The city won't haul off tires, motor oil, automobile parts, pesticides, oil-based paint or other hazardous materials that under state law can't be buried in landfills, Sander said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

All refuse must be placed at the curb by 6 a.m. on the day of your normal trash collection.

Only Cape Girardeau residential customers may participate.

Grass, leaves and yard or garden waste must be bagged and kept separate from other refuse.

Brush and limbs should be bundled in four-foot lengths and separated from the regular refuse.

Appliances must be at the curb. Doors must be removed for safety.

Swing sets must be broken down.

No concrete, logs or railroad ties will be collected.

No tires, batteries, motor oil, automobile parts, pesticides, oil-based paint or hazardous materials will be picked up because of state law restrictions.

A reasonable amount of refuse will be collected at each stop, typically what it would take two men to load in 10 minutes.

If you have questions, call the public works department at 334-9151.

SOURCE: City of Cape Girardeau