As students pack up and move out for the summer, the city of Athens goes into overdrive trying to control the trash problem.
June is the busiest month for trash collection in student rental neighborhoods, said Michael Cooper, the city and county sanitarian.
Using the same technique that was used last year, city sanitarians will work around the clock to go through student rental neighborhoods to get rid of garbage, Cooper said. This technique, started last year, was necessary because in the past, workers just picked up garbage at the normal pace, which would take two to three weeks to catch up.
Many times, after a crew finishes their route, they retrace their route again to pick up more trash that might have been laid out after they had initially gone through the route, said Ray Hazlett, Assistant Service Safety Director.
The 24-hour pick-up will begin June 9 and continue through June 15.
The trash rates are staggering
with the cost for the city at $99,708 in June 2003 compared to $50,000-$65,000 other months of the year, Hazlett said. While the city bills customers about $105,000 a month throughout the year, the rising costs of trash collection led to the recent passage of a Athens City Council ordinance, which adjusts the fee for rental properties.
Last June, the city collected 359 tons of solid waste, excluding recycling, and there are about 23,000 people in the city, Hazlett said.
On average, each Athens resident produced 31.2 pounds of trash last June. Twenty to 25 percent of Athens' yearly trash is generated in June, Hazlett said.
To help alleviate the trash problem, city officials and Ohio University representatives try to educate residents and students about local charities and organizations that benefit from unwanted furniture and other household items.
Appalachian Peoples Action Coalition, a local organization that aims to help lower income people, collects furniture and appliances that residents would otherwise throw out, said Jerry Hartley, the worknet coordinator. Workers refurbish appliances and furniture and then sell them back to the public at a low price.
Residents can call the group and workers will come to pick up appliances and furniture for free. Workers can move furniture out of a house or apartment as well, Hartley said.
ReUse Industries also helps students living off-campus and residents with unwanted items. Workers will collect furniture, clothes, appliances, working electronics and other household items, said Cathy Wilson, the projects administrator at ReUse Industries. Pick-ups are free in the city of Athens and in The Plains, and a fee-based rate can be established outside city limits.
Students living in residence halls are encouraged to put reusable items, such as office and art supplies, unused detergent, towels, clothes, books and clean carpeting in the reusable crates, said Ed Newman, OU recycling and refuse manager. The OU recycling workers are teaming up with the Athens 4-H club, who will collect the items and distribute them to local flood victims.
For items that cannot be used by local organizations, residents can call the city to pick up unusable couches or refrigerators, Hazlett said. The fee for the first four cubic yards of waste, which is the approximate size of a couch or refrigerator, beyond the allotted two bags is $15. It is $3 for every following cubic yard.
It is important that residents tag furniture or unwanted items so they are not picked up by city sanitarians, Hazlett said. When residents put items out on the curb and do not label them for ReUse Industries, for example, the items will be picked up and taken away.
The more information about trash the city can get out the better Hazlett said.
-Jayne Gest contributed to this story.
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