Published: October 07, 2008 12:57 pm            

Precincts 3 and 4, Rusk offer free fall clean-up days

By Cristin Ross

cross@jacksonvilleprogress.com

Despite rising costs to municipalities and county precincts, some entities in Cherokee County are still offering fall clean-up days.

Cherokee County Precincts 3 and 4 and the city of Rusk are holding their annual trash collection days from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The county clean-up sites will be at the Precinct 3 county barn on U.S. Highway 79 West in Jacksonville and at the Precinct 4 county barn on Farm-to-Market Road 2750 in Blackjack.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Moody Glass said in order to help keep costs to a minimum, he is asking Precinct 3 residents only make one trip to dump unwanted items for free.

“That’ll help keep our cost down, and allow more people a chance to participate as well,” Glass said.

The free clean-up days are offered to help curb illegal dumping in Cherokee County.

“I’ve always tried to offer this opportunity to residents here,” Precinct 4 Commission Byron Underwood said.

Rusk residents can drop off their trash from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the city barn on U.S. Highway 69 North or at Conley Park on Reeder Street. A second fall clean-up day will be held Oct. 25 at the same places in Rusk.

“We’re glad we can offer our residents these opportunities to help keep our city clean and free of illegal dump sites,” Rusk City Manager Mike Murray said.

Items that will not be accepted at either county barn site or the Rusk sites include tires, paint and other chemicals, appliances that contain freon, equipment that contains oil or other liquid lubricants and/or any type of fuel (unless they’ve been completely drained) and building material, such as scrap lumber and shingles.

The city of Jacksonville recently cancelled its fall clean-up day because of increasing landfill costs to the city.

“While it has been free to the citizens, it has not been free to the city — it costs us about $18,000 in landfill fees each time we do that,” Jacksonville Mayor Robert Haberle said in an earlier interview. “We have been fortunate enough to be able to have two clean-up days for quite a number of years, and now we are re-evaluating that in an effort to save money.”

Both commissioners also said brush and other vegetative matter will not be accepted.

All county residents can take organic matter to the compost center, located between Jacksonville and Neches.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.