By John Sharp
Tons of unwanted household items were brought in to four drop-off sites for proper disposal during the annual 5th Council District spring cleanup open to all KCMO residents on Saturday, May 17.
At the Ruskin High School drop-off site where I volunteered there was already a long line of vehicles waiting to drop off unwanted items when the site opened at 8 a.m.
Altogether, nearly 900 vehicles were served from 8 to noon that day, according to Robert Woods of the City Public Works Department’s neighborhood cleanup assistance program.
Over 300 vehicles were served at both Ruskin High School and the Center Academy for Success at 8434 Paseo which provided the most services, about 250 vehicles were served at Southeast High School and a much smaller amount at 8131 Indiana.
Altogether, the sites took in about 50 tons of trash & bulky items such as old furniture; 9 tons of leaves & brush; 15,635 pounds of household hazardous waste such as automotive products, household cleaners, lawn & garden products and paint; and 2,800 pounds of electronics, plus 2,807 tires.
The sites also shredded about 10,000 pounds of documents on site.
At Ruskin High School, several persons made two trips to the site, and a few even made three. Many persons had pickup truck beds loaded with unwanted items, and some were also towing trailers full of a variety of items. Others had rented large U-Haul trucks for the occasion.
Woods said the annual fall 5th Council District cleanup which many people asked about is scheduled for Saturday, October 11, and the annual fall 6th Council District cleanup is scheduled for October 18.
He said a drop-off site for hard to properly dispose of household hazardous waste is scheduled for Saturday, July 19, at Ruskin High School.
Recent household hazardous waste drop-offs have all collected large amounts of accumulated paint.