SPRING CLEANUP PROGRAM TO BEGIN

It's time to clean out all that junk: the dead refrigerator from the basement, the complete set of Bobbsey Twins books that got waterlogged when the basement flooded, the roofing shingles in danger of becoming an art project, the couch with the springs sticking out.

Cape Girardeau's annual Spring Cleanup Program is next week.

Beginning Monday and continuing through Friday, April 18, city employees will pick up the kind of trash that Cape Girardeau residents normally have to pay to have hauled away. Next week, if two city employees can load your trash into a truck in 10 minutes or less, it's free, said Pam Sander, the city's solid waste coordinator.

Trash should be on the curb by 6 a.m. on residents' regular trash collection day. Doors must be removed from taken off refrigerators or any appliance to keep children from being trapped inside, Sander said.

Grass, leaves and other yard or garden waste must be bagged and kept separate from other waste. Brush and limbs must be bundled in lengths of up to four feet, Sander said.

City employees won't pick up parcels weighing more than 75 pounds, except for appliances, Sander said.

State law prohibits the city from accepting tires, batteries, motor oil, automobile parts, pesticides, paint or hazardous materials.

The Southeast Missouri Solid Waste District is working on developing ways of disposing of hazardous wastes, Sanders said. Until then, arrangements for disposal should be made at the time of purchase.