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Friday, July 30, 2010 |
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New program leaves no time to ‘waste’
Published June 11, 2006
SEGUIN — The city of Seguin recently provided residents with an alternative to hoarding paint cans and car batteries in the garage.
Earlier this month, the city began a free, temporary home pickup program for household waste that can’t go out with the trash.
“All you have to do is schedule a date, put the collection kit out in the morning when you go to work, and it should be gone when you get home,” said City Planning Assistant Pamela Centeno.
Centeno said the most commonly requested items for pick up have been paint, cleaning products, pesticides and car batteries. Other acceptable items include swimming pool cleaners, used motor oil, paint thinners and antifreeze.
Items that cannot be picked up include smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and ammunition.
The pick-up process involves four steps. Residents call the collection company to request pickup, a date is scheduled and a collection kit is shipped, the company picks up the kit and then the waste is disposed of at an appropriate facility.
The collection kit is made up of a heavy-duty, clear plastic bag, a bag tie and labels to place on materials that are not clearly identified.
Bags should be placed near a street side door, garage or other area away from the curb by 7 a.m. of the day of scheduled collection.
Collection is provided at no cost for city residents, thanks to a $28,000 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality grant secured through the Alamo Area Council of Government.
The grant will fund the collection, which costs $117 per pick-up, until the money runs out.
Centeno estimates about 3 percent of households will use the program, so funds should cover the program for about three months.
“It seems like a low number, but in a lot of other communities the interest wasn’t even that high,” Centeno.
But if Seguin residents want the program to come around again, it’s important they take advantage of it while it’s here, she said. If program funds aren’t spent by the end of the year, it’s unlikely the granting organization will consider Seguin for a second program.
Depending on the program’s success, the city would like to renew the grant on a biannual schedule.
“Because of the cost, this isn’t something we could pick up on a full-time basis,” Centeno said. “So hopefully, this is a grant we can get every few years. We’re hoping this will let people clean out their garages and be all right until we have the funds to do it again.”
The service is coordinated through Curbside, Inc., a turnkey hazardous waste disposal company that operates throughout the United States.
To schedule hazardous waste pickup or for additional questions, call the pickup hotline at 1 800 449-7587. Questions can also be directed to Pamela Centeno at (830) 401-2412.
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