By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

You can start putting that unwanted junk out now for the 18th annual Hays alley cleanup which will start Mon., Oct. 22.

“This is a great opportunity to clean out your shed, attic, garage, basement or whatever else you might have,” says Marvin Honas, solid waste superintendent.

The free program is available to Hays residential refuse customers and will begin with curbside customers.

“We don’t want that stuff sitting along the streets any longer than necessary,” Honas explained.

Once the curbside collections are made, the four crews will move on to the alleys. Each site stop will be limited to 20 minutes. There is no set schedule.

Residents should sort their items into four piles:

1. Tree limbs and Brush–No longer than 12 feet in length or 6 inches in diameter

2. Construction and Demolition Debris–Lumber, drywall, bricks, sinks, tubs, wires, fencing, etc. (Please pull or bend over nails and place small quantities of concrete, bricks, and plaster in containers)

3. White Goods/Metals–Guttering, siding, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, metal swing sets, etc.

4. Municipal Waste (All other items)–Furniture, carpet, TVs, foam, etc.

Items that will not be collected are tires, batteries, household hazardous waste, or medical waste. Tires should be disposed of at the Ellis County Landfill, and hazardous waste and batteries should be disposed of at the Ellis County Hazardous Waste Facility. Medical waste can be taken to the Ellis County Health Department.

According to Honas, the white goods will be recycled after they’re taken to the Ellis County Waste Transfer Station.

“The transfer station brings in another company that crushes this stuff and bales it  and then it is recycled.”

The trees and limbs will also have a second life.

“We do chip all the trees that we collect. The chips are taken down to the Parks Department, (1546 Highway 40 Bypass),  which uses them for their tree farm. A lot of landscapers do use the wood chips and citizens are also welcome to take them, free of charge.”

Last year’s alley cleanup yielded 850,000 pounds of junk. “We usually range between 750 and 850 thousand pounds,” Honas said, “although the first year we did this after not offering it for some time, we picked up 1.5 million pounds. It’s leveled out since then.”

Honas also noted the alley cleanup will not affect the regular collection of refuse and recyclables.

For more details, contact the Hays Solid Waste Department at 785-628-7350 or check the city’s website.