Daydreaming about cleanup
By Patrick Kelley
Originally published 02:37 p.m., March 31, 2008
Updated 02:37 p.m., March 31, 2008
Spring is officially here, and it won’t be long before the city kicks off spring cleanup by announcing free dumping days at the transfer station.
At least we hope there will be free dumping again this year. For years, it has been the way the city encouraged people to get rid of the accumulated yard and house trash that piles up over the winter. But the budget is tight this year — bad enough that the transfer station has been closed on Sundays. Will the free dumping days be another casualty of cost cutting?
That would be a pity. The free dump days are useful.
But they are not perfect.
The problem with with limiting cleanup to a few days of free dumping is that a lot of people don’t have access to pickup trucks to haul the trash out to the far end of South Avenue.
We think Garden City has a better idea.
Starting today and running through April 11, Garden City will be doing a curbside spring cleaning, with city crews picking up everything from lawn trash to appliances. It makes sense to assume that the added convenience results in a cleaner, neater town.
Of course, curbside cleanup is labor-intensive, and that means it costs money. Emporia is not in the mood to spend that kind of money this year. But as long as the city is laying plans for the years to come, we suggest that curbside cleanup (and curbside recycling) be given a place on the wish list for better times.
Speaking of spring cleaning, Emporians will get a rare chance this week to get rid of the growing pile of high-tech trash that is taking over basements and closets around town. For the first time in several years, electronics recycling will be available. Televisions, computers, VCRs, cell phones — all the detritus of modern civilization will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Lyon County Fairgrounds.
There is a $10 charge to recycle televisions and a $5 charge for computer monitors or hard drives, but the rest of the dumping is free.
For information about the recycling day, go to www.assetlc.com/events.shtml.
Think how nice it would be to walk through the house without tripping over that old TV or knocking over the pile of old VCRs and DVD players.