Mar 6, 2008

As part of a grant project to recycle used motor oil and to keep scrap tires from being illegally dumped along the road, the South Central Solid Waste Management District recently funded the construction of two carport-type sheds in Douglas County. One shed is at the County Maintenance Shed off Highway FF just east of Ava; the other is at the County Maintenance Shed at Squires. People can now make an appointment with the county to bring used motor oil from do-it-yourself oil changes, and residents can bring in unwanted tires that will be recycled or disposed of properly. Lynda Roehl, district coordinator of the Solid Waste Management District, was here Monday to see the completed sheds and to discuss collections with Douglas County commissioners. Roehl said the construction of the sheds, and the equipment to operate them, was funded by the district through tipping fee funds collected by the Department of Natural Resources. Residents who wish to bring used oil or tires to the collection site should call and make an appointment before bringing items in, Presiding Commissioner Butch Linder said. The number for the Squires maintenance shed is 683-9266 and the number for the shed at Ava is 683-3235. When you call, if there is no answer, please leave a message so someone can call you back. The district received approximately $350,000 in 2007 to do projects such as this. Projects performed included district operations and training, plus funding for district-wide projects in the seven counties of the district which included: 13 household hazardous waste collections; 15 collections for electronics, plus collection of electronics from businesses and schools; 25 scrap tire collections; the clean-up of several illegal dump sites; illegal dumpsite prevention by funding 10 special clean-ups for rural areas of the district; and the school chemical clean-out campaign. Other projects from the 2007 solid waste fund included funds for a storage building at the Ozark County Recycling center, new curbside recycling bins for the city of West Plains Recycling program, a new pickup truck to do curbside recycling collections in the city of Houston, operating expenses in the form of wages for an employee at the Douglas County Sheltered Workshop, concrete and electric installation in a storage shed for the district funded in 2006 at the Douglas County Sheltered Workshop, a wood chipper for composting of storm debris in Douglas County, and a new vertical baler for the Oregon County Recycling Center program. Approved for 2008 are hazardous household waste collections in all seven counties of the district this spring, along with electronics collections, and other projects similar to those funded in 2007 including scrap tire collections and illegal dumpsite clean-up. Also approved is manpower operating expenses for the Douglas County Sheltered Workshop recycling center, as well as equipment for Oregon County and the City of West Plains. The household hazardous waste collection in Douglas County is scheduled this year on April 26 in Ava at DoCo, Inc., on NW 9th Street.