Mid-week pickup starts early, toxic or medical waste not eligible

MURPHY (October 15, 2010) Residents with waste or scrap items that are too large or unwieldy for regular garbage collection have an opportunity on Oct. 21 to dispose of these items simply by placing them curbside for pickup by the City of Murphy’s garbage collection contractor Waste Management, according to Candy McQuiston, Customer Service Manager.
“The contract with Waste Management calls for two bulk item pickups a year, and the next one falls on Thursday, October 21 at 7 a.m.,” she said.
Collection trucks and additional personnel will begin the pickup process no later than 7 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21 and will continue until all of the suitable items are gathered and removed.
“It’s advisable for residents who have these items to place them out on the usual curb pickup spot during the evening of October 20. If the item or items are not available at 7 a.m. on October 21, it’s very possible that they will not be picked up. The trucks will conduct their sweep of the city only once,” she added.
There are a number of general guidelines for the pickup process.
For example, while appliances, including refrigerators, will be picked up, all appliances that use Freon must be tagged with a receipt from a licensed HVAC technician attesting that the Freon has been completely removed. Refrigerators and other appliances that use Freon and that do not have the receipt clearly affixed to the exterior will not be removed.
Additionally, doors, with and without latches, must be removed in such a way that neither children nor animals can enter the discarded refrigerator and inadvertently become trapped in the unit.
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Push or riding lawn mowers, edgers and other motorized yard tools must be completely free of all gasoline, oil and lubricants.
Brush must be cut into segments not longer than four feet nor thicker than six inches in diameter and stacked neatly by the curb. The curbside brush pile should not measure larger than four feet long and three feet wide and must be separated from other trash because it is gathered by trucks that are directed to a facility separate from the landfill.
Pieces of metal placed by the curb must be of a size that fits into the trash truck, no longer than six feet in length.
Paint cans containing wet paint will not be picked up. However, cans containing paint which has dried to a solid state will be taken.
Toxic chemicals, solvents, combustible materials and any type of medical waste will not be taken. A separate collection for these items will be announced at a later date.
“If there are any questions regarding other items to be picked up, residents are invited to visit our website at www.murphytx.org or call us the Customer Service Center at 972-468-4100,” she concluded.