Dates for Sikeston's Fall Cleanup are set

SIKESTON -- Dates for Sikeston's Fall Cleanup, which gives residents two opportunities to dispose of bulky rubbish during their regular solid waste pickups, are set for the first two weeks in October.

Residents with Monday and Thursday trash collection will have their Fall Cleanup opportunities on Oct. 2 and Oct. 5. Those with Tuesday and Friday solid waste pickup will have their Fall Cleanup collections on Oct. 10 and Oct. 13.

Fall Cleanup items are to be placed along with household trash where the usual trash pickups occur: those with curb pickup will place their bulky rubbish at the curb while those with alley pickup place theirs in the alley.

Items should be placed on the curb or in the alley the night before pickup as there will be no return trips and no exceptions to this rule.

Absolutely no construction, contractor, commercial or business waste will be taken during this cleanup. Carpeting, drywall, paneling, wood flooring, cabinets, windows and sewer pipes are all considered construction waste and will not be accepted. Those who wish to have these items removed must arrange the pickup in advance and pay for the pickup.

Fall Cleanup items must be grouped close together in one area next to the curb or alley. Residents are advised to not place items they don't want disposed of close to the rubbish to prevent them from being taken by mistake. Sonny's Solid Waste Inc. will not be held responsible for and will not replace any items taken if they are next to the curb or alley on pickup day.

All 55-gallon barrels placed for pickup must be completely empty as they are too heavy to handle without the possibility of injury.

Many items are now banned from Missouri landfills and must be handled separately by Sonny's Solid Waste. As a result, these items are not included in the free Fall Cleanup pickup program.

A $10 fee will be charged by Sonny's to pick up the following items: clothes washing machines, clothes drying machines, dish washing machines, hot water heaters, window air conditioners, gas or electric cook stoves, restroom commodes, kitchen or bathroom sinks, microwave ovens, household refrigerators and household trash compactors. Commercial appliances are not included in the program at this price.

Any appliances having a compressor can not be picked up until the compressor is drained and removed from the appliance. The compressor will be taken at no extra charge, however.

Other items for which a fee will be charged to have them picked up include lead acid batteries, which cost $1 per battery; and used oil, which costs $1 per gallon.

Used oil must be in a plastic or metal container completely sealed to prevent spillage. Absolutely no hazardous waste will be picked up. Addresses of residents arranging used oil pickups will be kept on file to track any hazardous waste put with used oil.

Residents who wish to arrange a pickup for chargeable items during the Fall Cleanup period must call Sonny's Solid Waste at 471-2869 to schedule their charged pickup before the dates for their regular scheduled pickup. Payment must be received at Sonny's main office at 451 Smith Street before any special items will be taken.

Sonny's Solid Waste drivers and collection truck workers will not take special pick-up requests or receive payments on collection days as arrangements and payments must be made in advance with the office. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Sonny's Solid Waste will not pick up any tires as they are banned from all landfills in the state as well.

Also banned from landfills is all yard waste including limbs, leaves, shrub trimmings, grass, Christmas trees and garden waste. Residents that need to dispose of yard waste can contact Sonny's Solid Waste at 471-2869 or Jiggs Moore with the city of Sikeston at 471-6070.