Toss your trash, recycle the rest

Unable to take advantage of city-wide trash pick-up days in your community? Look no further than the Cherokee County Solid Waste Transfer Station, located on County Road 1602 near the Cherokee County Airport.

Lots people take advantage of the service, which is county-subsidized.

“We’ve been closed a couple of weeks (due to illness), but yesterday I had 49 customers just in one day,” said Michael Hennessy, who oversees the site. “Normally it’s 25-30.”

Open to county residents who are not contractors, the solid waste station accepts metal items – except for wire and fencing – free of charge, along with electronics like computers and furniture, among other items such as motor oil. Freon must be removed from all appliances.

Items not accepted include tires; brush, limbs, grass or leaves; shingles; liquids, hazardous materials; bricks or concrete; oilfield pipe; or dead animals.

The site is open year-round, with hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Contact the solid waste station at 903-683-6455.

STS Electronics Recycling in Jacksonville accepts electronic waste at its 522 County Road 1520 site, and can be reached at 903-586-2062, while Jacksonville Iron & Metal – at 599 County Road 1520 – accepts ferrous and non-ferrous material from throughout the area; call 903-586-2062 to learn more.

Meanwhile, the City of Rusk has offered recycle services for approximately one year; a metal receptacle is set up adjacent to the local Civic Center at 555 Euclid Ave.

Items appropriate for recycle include: Flattened cardboard boxes; newsprint – bundled and tied; magazines; office paper; aluminum, tin and steel cans – rinsed out; and plastics, such as soda bottles, milk jugs or water bottles #1-#7 – rinsed out.

Items not allowed in the recycle container include glass, plastic grocery sacks, no motor oil containers. To learn more about Rusk’s recycling program, contact City Hall at 903-683-2213.

Upcoming city-wide clean-up days include:

• Alto, Oct. 15-16 at the water tower on Rusk Street, across from the cemetery

• New Summerfield, Oct. 24-24, with dumpsters located next to the local police department on Texas Highway 110

While list may vary slightly, items generally accepted for these events 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; mattress sets wood/metal items; and water heaters

Commonly banned items include: Liquids of any kind; tires; oil/oil filters; refrigerators/AC units/appliances containing CFCs (Freon); lead acid/car batteries; hazardous waste; chemicals/pesticides; paint/paint buckets; medical waste of any kind; and dead animals.

Proof of residence must be provide.