Washtenaw County’s Solid Waste Program is holding a County Clean-Up Day that will be returning to Eastern Michigan University on Saturday, Oct. 26 in Eastern Michigan University’s Rynearson Stadium parking lot.
County residents are encouraged to bring unwanted household materials, many of which can otherwise be difficult to dispose of properly, to the event for safe disposal.
The event is open to public and free to attend, although a suggested donation of $10 per car is encouraged to help decrease disposal costs.
“These events are big days in which we’ll collect and divert a significant amount of material from our solid waste landfills in our local areas,” said Dan Moody, Washtenaw County’s SWP coordinator.
In addition to traditional recyclable materials such as plastics, glass, cardboard and paper, the SWP will accept scrap metal, Freon appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners, household hazardous waste materials such as motor oil, mercury and oil-based paints, furniture, old tires, diabetic needles and electronic equipment such as old televisions and computers.
“We do anticipate a big crowd at the event,” Moody said.
He added that they typically receive 20 to 30 tons worth of electronics, two to three hundred tires and 70 to 150 Freon appliances.
Many items, such as tires and combustible materials, are used to power steam turbines in waste-energy fuel programs. Various household appliances are dismantled and recycled as scrap metal
“Just about everything collected is recycled,” Moody said, adding that a few items, such as used carpeting, still end up going to landfills.
Additional information like the 2012 EMU Clean-Up Day report can be found at recycle.ewashtenaw.org
