, Publisher
07-05-2009
Many people take advantage of summer vacations to do a little cleaning up and cleaning out at home.
Once we start rooting through closets, attics, storage buildings and garages, the amount of accumulated junk that we discover can be impressive. Although it can feel good to get rid of stuff, it’s important to remember to do it in a responsible way.
Maybe you’ve done the garage sale thing and still have leftover items. Or, maybe you’ve hauled as much stuff to Goodwill, Rolling Hills or the Salvation Army as they will take. Sometimes, households have stuff that just needs to be thrown away.
Not everything can be dumped in the trash can and rolled to the side of the road. Even Dumpsters can only take so much. That’s why Ruston and Lincoln Parish have decided to institute monthly Household Hazardous Materials Collection days once a month.
During these designated days, the city Public Works Complex on Tennessee Avenue will serve as a drop-off site for select materials that might be harmful to the environment if flushed down the drain or thrown in the garbage.
Among those products that will be accepted and then recycled or properly disposed of are fluorescent light bulbs, tires, appliances, furniture and regular batteries, as well as batteries used in boats, four-wheelers and automobiles.
Many people don’t realize that all types of batteries cannot be thrown in the regular trash. Neither can the compact fluorescent bulbs that many households are using now.
The new initiative begins Saturday, which will be the collection day for the month of July. After that, items can be dropped off on the second Saturday of each month from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
If you have a question about acceptable materials, contact public works at 251-8641 from 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Our community is becoming more interested in recycling and protecting the environment, and this is one simple way people can do their part to properly dispose of and recycle a variety of household items.
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