Annual spring clean-up day is set for April 18

* Free drop-off of unwanted items such as tires, electronics and more.

On Saturday, April 18, Nevada and Vernon County residents will have a chance to get rid of all the junk that has accumulated over the winter, during the annual Spring Clean-up Day sponsored by the Nevada-Vernon County Recycling Center, from 8 a.m. to noon.

In addition, for the first time the parks department will be holding a silent auction of more than 100 bicycles at the former Charter Communications Building, 100 South Adams St., which is located behind the city hall.

The bike auction will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the bikes can be registered free at the auction.

Ron Clow, Nevada's community development director, said that, like last fall, the clean-up day activities will be divided between the recycling center on East Locust Street and the public works department site on South Jefferson Street.

The Recycling Center will accept tires, electronics, white goods, household hazardous waste, except for paint, and the normal recyclable materials they accept. White goods include household appliances like stoves and water heaters.

"There will be no charge for electronics or tires," Clow said, adding that David's Tire Service will be handling the tire drop-off.

He said that because analog televisions are becoming obsolete, they will also be accepting those at the Recycling Center.

Clow said that the televisions will be recycled by a Springfield company.

The public works site is the place to go with things that can go to the landfill, as well as yard waste, which goes to the compost site across the street. This spring, the collection site also will be accepting bulk metal.

Clow said that they will have large dumpsters located at the public works site and will have city employees there with backhoes to help put trash into the dumpsters.

He said that latex paint can be dropped off at the public works site.

"Latex paint is accepted at the landfill. Just mix it with sawdust or kitty litter or something that will make it solid and drop it off at the public works site," Clow said.

The best way to get to the public works site on Jefferson Street is to go east on Maple to the public works building; then turn south on Jefferson.

"All of the recycling activities is being paid for with a grant from the Region M Soled Waste Management District," he said.

Anyone needing help hauling their stuff either location, can call the City Hall, (417) 448-2700, for a list of city-licensed haulers.