It may be tradition or, perhaps, that burst of energy you feel when spring weather arrives.
Whatever the motivation, spring cleaning has become part of the rituals of the season.
When homes relied on coal or firewood for heating and whale oil or kerosene for lighting, winters left homes with thick layers of soot and grime on every household surface. Proper cleaning required opening windows to let the soot out, which, of course, could only be done during the warmer weather of spring.
Even now, a home shuttered against the cold creates an accumulation of dust and debris that beckons us to throw open the windows and tidy up.
Sometimes, that’s easier said than done. There are a wide range of household items that cannot be legally disposed of by our regular curbside waste collection.
Saturday provides an opportunity to remedy that issue.
From 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., residents can drop off hazardous household waste at the Golden Triangle Regional Landfill, which is located on Old West Point road just west of Highway 45-A. There is no charge.
The collection day is for household items only and no waste materials from commercial properties are permitted.
Types of items that can be disposed of on Saturday include aerosols, paint, batteries, household cleaners, wood finishes, automobile fluids/filters, herbicides, pesticides, rodent poisons and electronic wastes.
The landfill will not accept containers of more than five gallons, nor will the landfill take explosives/munitions, infectious waste, gas canisters (butane, freon, propane, spray-on insulation) or freon devices (air conditions, refrigerators, etc.) If you are unsure as to whether an item can be disposed of at the event, you can call the landfill at 662-324-7566.
Sadly, many of these materials do wind up in the regular trash undetected where it becomes an environmental hazard to our communities and for workers involved in waste collection and disposal.
It is a practice that all ethical people should avoid. Proper disposal of these items is one way to keep our communities safe.
Additionally, in Columbus, residents can drop off other items for free disposal, including tires, mattresses, carpet and appliances from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on weekdays at the WastePro location at 1600 12th Ave. South. For a $5 fee, residents can drop off electronics, including computers, keyboards and TVs at the WastePro location at 701 6th St. South weekdays from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. These drop offs are also for residential use only.
Saturday’s hazardous waste collection day and the regular Columbus disposal operations should be a regular part of our spring cleaning efforts as well as.
We urge everyone who has these types of materials in their homes to take advantage of these opportunities.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
