March 28, 2024

Bulk item cleanup still an issue in Union County

Do you ever wonder what to do with large items when you want to throw them away?

Waste Management has an arrangement with customers to pick up some bulk items. However, it’s not uncommon to see large items such as mattresses, TVs or couches illegally dumped in a ditch along rural roads in Union County.

“I think in every county, and our county, I think there’s a certain amount of junk,” said Ron Riley, county supervisor. “People go out on our secondary roads and find a ditch and throw it out. And, our secondary roads crews, basically when they see that, they have to spend time and effort and money to go out and pick it up.”

It’s been an issue, Riley said, for a long time, and money in the secondary roads budget goes directly to the cleanup.

Even though the number of city and county workers cleaning up junk has gone down, there is still a chunk of money going toward cleanup.

Larry Latham, assistant to the county engineer, said the county spends between $5,000 and $10,000 each year cleaning county roads.

“It depends how much it is, but any one location is hard to put a specific price on it,” Latham said. “Certain times of the year we get more than others. Right after Christmas, stuff like that.”

County employees will make a list, then go out and clean ditches all at once if possible, unless it’s a regularly used street. Items usually seen include couches, recliners, mattresses, TVs, washers and dryers. Latham said it costs about $500 a day with two employees.

“It costs the county the time and effort. You know you’re paying a man his full, you’re taking him away from his duty,” Riley said. “If people didn’t do it, you could spend that money somewhere else.”

The money comes from the secondary roads budget, which is part of the money taxpayers pay the county.

Kevin Kruse, Creston public works director, said city employees will clean up city streets if for some reason the arrangement with Waste Management isn’t utilized. Those who have to clean up spend an hour or so, and it costs the city between $50 and $100 each time.

Within city of Creston limits, junk cleanup isn’t the same kind of issue as beyond. Kruse said employees don’t pick up the same amount of garbage as what could be found along county roads. But, one thing city employees have picked up, if less now than before, is a Christmas tree.

“We’ll put it in the paper around New Year’s, and then we’ll go out and do it,” said Jon Hayes, city roads superintendent. “There just isn’t that many real trees anymore. The last few years we haven’t picked up but a few truckloads around town.”

Waste pickup

To have any bulk waste item picked up, contact Prairie Solid Waste Agency at 641-347-5022 or Waste Management at 782-7777.

Prairie Solid Waste Agency will take TVs by the inch: 19-inch for $15, 20- to 29-inch for $22, and 30-inch flat-screen or console for $27. Any other non-Freon appliance is $5, and Freon appliances are $15.

For Prairie Solid Waste Agency to property dispose of tires, costs are $2 for motorcycle tires, $3 for car tires, $8 for truck tires, $5 for front farming tires, and $20, $30 or $50 for small, medium or large rear farming tires, respectively.

Any items not specifically priced, such as furniture, can be disposed of by the pound at Prairie Solid Waste Agency. Cost is $10 for up to 309 pounds and $65 prorated for anything over 309 pounds.

Waste Management will dispose of appliances with a prepurchased sticker at no extra cost. There are no electronics or tire disposal services. Furniture pickup is one item per week per yard at no extra cost, and more than that is cost dependant.

For any other items, Waste Management charges by the yard, not the weight.