With spring and the Muskogee Azalea Festival coming soon, it’s time to start getting your home and yard in top shape.

The city of Muskogee will help with your spring cleaning by offering free places to dispose of unwanted furniture, yard waste, appliances, tires and other household refuse.

Wednesday through March 26, the city and A More Beautiful Muskogee will sponsor the annual Azalea Spring Clean-up. Yaffe Iron & Metal, Whittinghill Disposal and Waste Management also are sponsors. For three days, the city will set up receptacles at three fire stations, the city water department, recycling center and material yard where people may deposit large volumes of trash.

Muskogee residents also can take advantage of Free Dump Day at Muskogee Community Landfill on March 27. Residents who show a valid driver’s license and current city of Muskogee water bill can deposit their trash at the landfill at no charge.

Kimberly Clay, scale clerk at Muskogee Community Landfill, said she expects a heavy turnout for Free Dump Day.

“We had 378 loads the first Free Dump Day last year,” she said. “We get a lot of business.”

She said the landfill normally charges $7.19 per cubic yard, with the state of Oklahoma charging a fee of $1.25 a ton. Both the state fee and the city charge will be waived during the Free Dump Day. No commercial business will be allowed.

Residents welcome these opportunities to clear away unwanted household items, city officials say.

“We’re talking about beds, couches, chairs, all kinds of junk they bring by,” said Francie Martin, assistant storm water compliance officer for the city of Muskogee. The landfill is the only place furniture and mattresses can be discarded.

Other sites see plenty of business, Martin said. “At some of the fire stations, we have to empty some of the loads several times.”

That’s one reason the city added the Muskogee Recycling Center, at Iola and Main Streets, as a site, Martin said.

“Hopefully, by bringing the trash to the recycling center, they can bring their recyclables as well,” she said. They may discover ‘Hey I didn’t know you could bring plastics here or get free mulch.’”

Muskogee Street Superintendent Jim Wixom said the city hosts six free dump days through November. But the spring clean is the largest.

“This is the one we do every year before the Azalea Festival,” he said.

Other sites will be open for certain disposals during Free Dump Day. Old tires from cars, pickups and large trucks may be taken to the City of Muskogee Material Yard, 1503 S. Cherokee St. Households are limited to 25 tires each. No tractor tires, tires on metal rims or tire dealers will be accepted.

Loads of brush or tree limbs, but no stumps, may be taken to 40th and Denver streets.

Yaffe Iron will buy old automobile batteries. They also may be dropped off at the Muskogee Recycling Center.

Yaffe Assistant Manager Kenny Williams said the company participates in the clean-up because “it helps beautify Muskogee.”

“It’s recycling, and it’s green,” he said, using a term meaning good for the environment. “We recycle the metal. We were doing it before we knew what ‘going green’ meant.”



Azalea Spring Clean-up

Wednesday through March 26

Trash receptacle sites

• City Material Yard, 1503 S. Cherokee St.

• City Water Department, 1239 Chicago St.

• Recycling Center, northwest corner of Main and Iola streets.

• Fire Station, 2603 Border St.

• Fire Station, 503 E. Peak Blvd.

• Fire Station, 1800 N. York St.

Tree limbs and brush may be taken to the dump site at 40th and Denver Streets, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through March 27.



If you go



WHAT: Free Dump Day at Muskogee Community Landfill.

WHEN: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 27.

WHERE: Muskogee Community Landfill, 2801 S. 54th St. W.

ITEMS ACCEPTED:

• Household trash and yard waste.

• Appliances (without compressors), lawn mowers, scrap metal.

• Discarded furniture and mattresses.



ALSO:

• Old car, pickup or truck tires may be left at City of Muskogee Material Yard, 1503 S. Cherokee St. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 27.

• Old car batteries may be left at the Recycling Center, northwest corner of Main and Iola streets.

Reach Cathy Spaulding at 918-684-2928 or Click Here to Send Email