Rusk hosts city-wide clean-up day April 10; Alto event slated April 17-18

The City of Rusk will host a city-wide clean-up day on Saturday, April 10, with dumpsters located at the city barn located at 511 S. Dickinson St., according to city officials.

According to a release from Public Works Director Neill Holcomb, “Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has strict regulations and guidelines that we are required to follow… in order to ensure the safety of our staff and the surrounding community.”

Accepted items include: Brush/yard waste; bulky items; household items; furniture; outdoor grills; dishwashers; appliances that do not use Freon; paper or cardboard items; lawn mowers; construction debris; wood/metal items; mattress sets; water heaters.

This list serves as a guideline, and is not inclusive, Holcomb said.

However, items that the landfill cannot accept and residents are asked to omit bringing them to the site when participating in the clean-up, he added.

Non-accepted items include: Liquids of any kind; whole tires (must be split or quartered); oil/oil filters; refrigerators; A/C units or appliances containing CFCs (Freon); lead acid batteries; hazardous waste; chemicals or pesticides; paint or paint buckets (acceptable only if paint is completely dried and free of liquid); medical waste of any kind; dead animals.

All items must be manageable by two people when loading the container, Holcomb said.

Meanwhile, volunteers are being sought to pick up trash around the city, with bags of trash collected by city workers.

In Alto, city-wide clean-up days are slated the weekend of April 17-18, with a dumpster set up under the Rusk Street water tower, behind the cemetery, said City Secretary April Comte.

Accepted items include brush, yard waste, household items, furniture, paper, cardboard items and trash.

Bulky items, such as appliances, along with metal items and large lead acid batteries, are being accepted, but residents must place beside the waste dumpster, not inside

Not accepted: Oil, oil filters, liquids, pain and household garbage.

Neither electronics nor rubber tires will not be accepted unless resident agrees to pay recycling fee for each item.

Residents participating in either clean-up event must bring a utility bill with them as proof of residence.