ROSEBORO — Despite the rainy weather, town residents took advantage of a recent clean-up opportunity and took part in the annual Fall Clean Sweep, making the annual event a huge success.
Roseboro Public Works officials gave residents the chance to clean out their attics and garages, picking up the additional trash in an effort to help residents and make the town more appealing.
According to David Phillips, Public Works director for the town, the Fall Clean Sweep, held Oct. 26-30, was a huge success. The department’s employees worked the entire week collecting certain items, accumulating nearly 24 tons of garbage.
During last year’s clean up, Phillips said town employees were able to get six truck loads, with each load holding about 2.5 tons. In all, approximately 15 tons of garbage was collected.
“We do this for the whole town to make it look better,” Phillips said. “But mainly, it’s important for us to help those people out, like the elderly, who can’t haul their trash away themselves.”
During collection, the town picked up yard debris, building rubbish tires. Phillips said no appliances were collected and residents would have to take the appliances to the landfill site themselves. Tires were collected at the end of the week after all other trash was picked up.
In addition to appliances, the town didn’t collect electronics, including televisions. Phillips said if residents have televisions that need to be discarded, the Ivanhoe and Newton Grove site location generally accept them. However, he advised calling and inquiring with site staff before taking the television to be disposed of there.
As for the week-long collection, the public works director noted his pleasure at how well received, and well used, the event was by residents.
“The clean-up went really well,” Phillips said. “Everyone did a great job of getting their items out like they were supposed to. We were able to go through and collect the waste.”
Town employees worked the entire week collecting the waste. Residents were allowed to place the trash by the road beginning the Saturday before collection, and the town began coming through to collect on Tuesday. Phillips said the town gave the residents an extra day to put trash out.
The town doesn’t offer weekly trash collection service, but residents do use Waste Industries on a weekly basis to collect their trash. The town does, however, go through on Fridays on Hwy. 242 and Roseboro Street, within the town limits, and collect extra waste, not typically collected by the routine collection.
The town, Phillips said, is still going through collecting yard waste. With the area in the peak of the Fall season, Phillips said residents should gather their yard waste in a pile near the road and the town will come through and collect. The recent rains have made the collection of leaves easier, allowing the town’s employees to collect more yard waste.
“Residents are real cooperative,” Phillips said. “The do an excellent job of keeping their trash cleaned up and putting it out where it needs to be.”