Ironton’s annual spring cleanup day will follow a city-wide cleanup effort by volunteering residents.

Thursday, April 13, 2000

Ironton’s annual spring cleanup day will follow a city-wide cleanup effort by volunteering residents.

Saturday’s volunteer cleanup day, brought about by former Ironton City Council member Randy Lilly, marks the beginning of the city’s annual cleanup efforts, although the two are not directly related. The citywide cleanup begins Monday.

"The city is fully supporting (Lilly’s) efforts, but the cleanup day is a separate event from the city’s annual spring cleanup, during which Ironton residents can clean up their property and set the extra refuse items out for the city’s collection service to remove," Ironton Mayor Bob Cleary explained. "We do not want to detract at all from the cleanup day and we are very appreciative and supportive of the wonderful efforts involved there. The city’s event is annual and we thought it might prove helpful to begin it now."

Last year, the spring cleanup was delayed slightly and therefore lasted well into the summer because of record tonnage collected, Cleary said.

This year, by getting an earlier start, city administrators hope to see the community in top shape by summer.

"Hopefully, we will make a real strong effort to get the community cleaned up earlier this year than we did last year," he said. "The city employees worked hard last year and had record tonnage amounts of garbage collected, so this year we’re getting to work a little earlier to get the community in top shape for the summer months."

In addition to setting additional bagged, tied or boxed garbage curbside on their regularly scheduled garbage collection day, residents will be notified of scheduling for larger items.

Also, if residents do not want to wait on the city to stop by for the additional items, other options are available, Cleary said.

"This year, residents may still obtain a permit from the Water Works office in the City Building and haul their disposed items to the Cooksey Landfill themselves for no charge," Cleary said. "Also this year, the residents can haul the refuse to the city garage during normal working hours and dispose of their items there at Second and Hecla streets."

Residents who are physically unable to haul their own refuse or place it on the curb for collection can contact the mayor’s office at 532-3833 and make an appointment to have city workers remove the larger items from their property.

"This is for everyone to take advantage of, so if there is a resident who cannot lift or move some of these items on their own, we will have city workers come to their homes and remove the items for them," Cleary said.

But, the city administration does caution residents against abuse of the additional services.

"There have been some residents in the past who have actually waited until the city cleanup days to tear down garages or outbuildings and then expect the workers to haul off all of the refuse generated by the demolition," he said. "This service, while additional and free to garbage customers, does cost the city additional money. If it is abused, we will have to consider discontinuing it, so we certainly hope that does not happen."