CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Commission President Lance Wheeler says their fall cleanup series of events are growing this year and he encourages everyone to take part in the one set for this Saturday.
This Saturday, September 21 the cleanup event will be held in South Charleston at the intersection of C Street and 4th Avenue behind Speedway.
Wheeler said even though the event is in South Charleston, he encourages everyone across the county to come out and bring items they wish to throw away or recycle. He said it’s a service that’s beneficial and necessary to take advantage of.
Lance Wheeler
“We know that it’s environmentally beneficial,” Wheeler said. “We don’t want this trash on the side of the road, we don’t want these tires in the creeks and rivers, not only does it look bad, but it also causes flooding down the road.”
Wheeler said while it’s an initiative the commission has been hosting for a number of decades now in the fall and spring, the cleanup event they held two weeks ago in Elkview saw record-breaking numbers.
He said they counted a total of 858 vehicles come through as residents recycled or threw away items from debris to appliances and metals.
Wheeler added that a total of 1,300 tires were recycled through DEP’s REAP program who was also at the event, as well as 23 tons of metal.
He said they are grateful for the increase in people participating in the cleanup events.
“These are astonishing numbers we’re seeing more and more, and so we’re grateful that more people are participating because it just makes it easier with this county commission with Commissioner Slotnick, Commissioner Salango and myself to keep these going every year,” he said.
Wheeler said a lot of contributing agencies come together to help with the operation of these cleanup events.
He said while it starts with the commission’s Planning and Development Office, they also work with the before-mentioned DEP for the tire recycling aspect of the cleanup as well as local air conditioning maintenance crews who take care of removing the Freon in AC units before they get disposed of, and another group who comes who specifically has expertise in recycling electronics–handling anything from cell phones to printers and to old TVs.
In addition, he said various municipalities throughout the county provide their Waste Management services at the event to help oversee proper waste disposal.
Wheeler said the events function as an efficient, well-working machine.
“There’s a lot of moving parts to this, I know I went when I was first elected I was astonished at just how much planning goes into this and how well it’s run,” Wheeler said. “When you go in, the longest part is the line itself, once you get in, they take care of you instantly, they will remove all of the debris out of your car, you don’t have to get out.”
Wheeler said the only items they will not accept at the events are gas and propane tanks, any hazardous waste or paint chemicals and motor oil.
The South Charleston cleanup event for this Saturday will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.