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Clean-up kicks off Oct. 8

Sat, 10/01/2016 - 6:00 am
newsdesk@grahamleader.com
Graham’s annual Fall Clean-Up event kicks off next week on Saturday, Oct. 8, and continues through Sunday, Oct. 16. As opposed to the Spring cleanup, which took place on the Downtown Square, all cleanup activities will happen at the Graham Convenience Station, at 1421 Ave F. The station allows dumping of general refuse more than the 6-cubic-yard limit for free but that does not accept household garbage or food items. Though the Keep Graham Beautiful organization assisted with the Spring cleanup, their services will not be around for the Fall event, due to it being a slower cleanup event. Joel Williams, who oversees the Graham Convenience Station, said the decision to keep the event around was made to give residents another chance to dispose of their refuse. “We talked about it with the city manager and we just decided to keep the clean-up going because there is always somebody out there with a need to clean up something, so we just decided to go ahead and go with it and keep with the same pattern we had in the past,” Williams said. “We just decided it would be best for the residents to be able to have a second chance to clean up that way and maybe it will keep that stuff where it is supposed to be and not in the alleyways.” The entry of the station will be monitored, so proof of Graham residency via a city water bill and driver license will be required. The station will be open for special extended hours during the clean-up event and will be open daily for bulk disposal. Items that are not accepted as bulky waste include appliances with gaseous refrigerants, batteries, regulated medical wastes, liquid waste, asbestos waste and radioactive waste. Small items, such as toys and clothes, must be boxed or bagged if they are to be classified as a bulky item. On Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, the convenience station will open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; on Oct. 9 and Oct. 16 the station will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Oct. 10-14, the station will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Items such as shingles, brick, concrete, rock and heavy items are not “general refuse” and will be charged for if brought in. Another service offered by the city during Fall Cleanup Week is that residents can take any extra recyclable materials to the station for free. That includes plastics, glass, aluminum, steel, tin, boxboard, chipboard, corrugated cardboard and mixed paper. Residents are also welcome to dispose of tires at the station for $2 per passenger tire and $5 to $25 per truck tire, depending on size. No rims or tractor tires will be accepted at the station at any time. Residents can get rid of brush, leaves and grass clippings by taking them to the station for disposal at the on-site brush pile. The station grinds up the brush into a mulch, which residents are welcome to come and take at no charge, as long as they bring a vehicle to transport it. No trash or lumber is allowed in the brush pile, so residents are asked to clean the piles out before bringing them to the station. The Paper Pig will also be on location Saturday, Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will provide paper shredding with the first two bags or boxes free per household or business and additional costing $5 each. The Paper Pig services were secured and arranged through the Graham Chamber of Commerce, according to Williams. Out-of-city residents must pay the same price as usual for non-residents: $30 per cubic yard for general refuse, $60 per cubic yard for roof materials, $120 per yard for concrete/brick/rock disposal and $10 per tire for passenger tires. Out-of-city residents can also dispose of truck tires for $20-$100 each depending on the size. The convenience station’s regular hours outside of the clean-up event are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and open the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the station and its services, call Joel Williams at 940-549-6121.