By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Back for a second year, Great Bend’s city-wide cleanup will begin Friday, Sept. 8. Residents can come by the Sunflower Diversified Services Recycling Center on west 10th Street to dump tires, metal, mattresses and appliances.
There will be several large, construction dumpsters positioned on the lot. City Administrator Brandon Anderson said city staff will be on hand to assist with unloading.
"We have not coordinated with any volunteer groups to go pick up, but any groups can go haul things out there," said Anderson. "The city will not be going to residences to pick up anything. At the site, we will have staff there."
Last year, Great Bend residents filled 51 of the commercial-sized dumpsters. The most prominent items dropped off were tires, accounting for 75 tons of tires disposed of during the cleanup.
"For the time being, there will be no charges on those tires," said Anderson. "We know last year, that was the largest cost that the city incurred. The way I look at that is tires are one of the biggest culprits that stack up in people's backyards, hold water and create a breeding ground for mosquitos. Also, if we don't provide an opportunity for tires to be disposed of, they end up in ditches."
Excluding labor from city staff that assisted residents with unloading, the city’s expense was just under $20,000 last year.
Great Bend city-wide cleanup hours:
Friday, Sept. 8 (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 9 (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
Sunday, Sept. 10 (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.)
Monday - Friday, Sept. 11 - Sept. 15 (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 16 (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.)
Sunday, Sept. 17 (1 p.m. - 5 p.m.)