Salem’s Spring clean-up weeks, city yard sale coming up

Clean-Up Weeks are set for the weeks of April 30-May 4 and May 7-11 citywide. The Community Wide Yard Sale is May 5.

The Community-Wide Yard Sale is sponsored by the City of Salem and The Salem News. The deadline to be listed on advertising for the yard sale is 10 a.m. Friday. The deadline for those wishing to have a space on the City Administrative Offices parking lot is May 4. Spots are $8 each. Those renting spots from the city can also drop by The Salem News to be listed in advertising prior to the event. Cost is $10.

City residents can also take advantage of free pickup of yard waste and old appliances as a part of the Spring Clean-up Week services.

More than the normal amount of trash for each customer will be picked up during clean-up weeks by the city's sanitation contractor, Waste Corporation of America (WCA).

City crews will pick up these items, which will be stockpiled on city property for disposal by a private contractor at the city's expense. City crews are also picking up yard waste in biodegradable bags that are available for a fee at City Hall and tree limbs if placed curbside early on the day of normal trash pickup service.

Pick-up will be done on the city's normal trash service days. Unwanted items should be placed curb-side early.

This no-cost service provides an opportunity for residents to clean up their property and get items picked up that are hard to dispose of.

Small items should be no longer that four feet and be bundled or contained in some way and other large items also should be placed curbside during the spring clean-up.

Batteries, tires, motor oil chemicals or solvents, paint, appliances, or non-compactable items such as concrete, tree stumps, steel or construction debris will not be picked up.

The City of Salem’s recycling bins are available for daily collection of recyclables. The bins currently are located at the Salem Upper Elementary School parking lot. Recyclables that can be put in the bins include: tin can, glass, #1 plastic bottles (2-liter soda bottles, #2 plastic bottles (milk jugs, etc.) and #2 plastic colored bottles (bleach jugs, etc.).

What to do with items that WCA will not pick up? According to City of Salem officials, these are some options for disposal of some items: 

Motor oil - used motor oil (small quantities of good oil can be taken to Knight Auto Care during working hours.  (No large quantities);

Paint – latex, dry it out and WCA will take it, they will not take oil based paint (see Rolla Recycling);

Tires – Maybe taken to local tires retailers for a small fee: Hubb’s Tire, Dwayne’s Tires, Knight Auto Care and Park Street Tire;

Tree limbs are picked up by the City of Salem the first and third Mondays. Limbs must be cut to 3 - 4 ft. in length and placed by the street side for easy pickup;

Building materials – order a special dumpster for construction material pickup; contact WCA toll free 1-800-359-7929.

Recycling Businesses:

Hall's Recycling, Hwy 68 North, phone (573) 729-2326. Buys all metals, including aluminum cans, copper, brass, lead, radiators, appliances, steel and iron etc., and car batteries;

Scenic Rivers Industries, Franklin and Walker, Phone 729-6264. Accepts aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, newspapers and document shredding;

T & R Recycling, Hwy 32 & 72, phone 729-1030 or 247-0129. Buys appliances, aluminum cans, aluminum scrap, car batteries, washing machines, car bodies, and will pick up items if you call them) Open seven days a week;

Schwartz Auto, Hwy. 19 South, 729-3611, will accept Car bodies and metal scrap; 

Rolla Recycling Center, High Point Industrial Park, I-44, exit 189, Rolla, accepts hazardous waste, chemicals, solvents, oil based paint, drop-off is by appointment.

Special Waste-Computers, hazardous waste, chemicals, solvents, or oil based paint – special pickup days are established each year as funding permits.  Watch for notices in the media.

For more information contact the City Administrative Offices at 729-4811 or WCA toll free at 1-800-359-7929.