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Last Updated: Jul 30th, 2010 - 19:48:00 |
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| City of Liberal sanitation worker removes tree limbs from an area of the city last Thursday. The sanitation department offers many programs and services to help the community keep Liberal clean. Photo by Connie Whiteley |
It takes a lot of passion to haul the trash out of Liberal.
The City of Liberal Department of Sanitation workers likes to keep Liberal clean, said Frank Holman, solid waste and recycle director.
"We offer quite a few services here in the community," said Holman. “Our goal and purpose is to try to reach out and meet the needs of the community, with that in mind, sometimes we get different needs in the community. That is what opens our mind to what we need to render to meet those needs."
One service the city offers is the $5 pick-up fee for smaller items.
"Let's say that you have a small item, like a couch, we will pick that couch up for a small fee, a very reasonable fee," said Holman. "The fee is $5 and that is just to pick that couch up. Now that's $5 per item, even if it is an icebox, it would be $5. We don't try to make money. We just try to keep the community clean."
The pick-up service was started to give people an opportunity to dispose of unwanted goods properly, and not dumped in a ditch, left in a yard or alley.
Interested individuals pay the fee ahead of time at city hall. Department workers will pick up the items within 48 hours.
Another way the department keeps Liberal clean is the free removal of tree limbs that are blown down as a result of a storm. Holman said Liberal residents have 30 days after a storm to place tree limbs by their trash receptacle for haul.
Despite some of the services offered by the sanitation department, illegal dumping still occurs. If sanitation department workers have to make an extra trip to empty a full commercial container, the container' owner pays $32 for the service.
"People are paying for commercial (trash) containers; they are paying for that service for their personal usage and their business," said Holman. "We have several individuals driving by at night and dumping their trash in those private containers, and that is considered illegal dumping, and if we catch them doing illegal dumping, they will be prosecuted."
Holman said he receives several complaints about illegal dumping.
"We have several complaints about pickup trucks driving down alleys and throwing stuff off in the alleys and using commercial containers," said Holman. "If we catch the people doing it, they are libel for paying the fees to dumping that container."
The sanitation department has put several policy's in place to keep Liberal cleaner.
Residents need to be aware bagging all trash is required and not all items are appropriate for the dumpsters.
Holman said items such as bricks, concrete, iron objects, lumber, large wood, trees limbs from storms should not be dumped in the three-yard long brown dumpsters.
When non-household trash items are thrown in to dumpsters, damages can be caused and be repaired.
Holman is not the only person committed to keep Liberal clean. The sanitation department employes 12 full-time employees who can be found throughout the city seven days a week picking up trash.
More services are available from the sanitation department.
“I feel we are really reaching out to the community the best that we can to keep our town clean,” said Holman. “The services we are rendering I feel are effective and gives me a proud feeling when I can look down alleyways, look at the community and see that it is clean. I feel it is effective in trying to keep our community clean.”
Joe Sealey, Liberal public works director, said Holman has improved the department of sanitation.
“Frank Holman does an excellent job and takes it very personal,” said Sealey. “He is always looking to improve service and is a good role model for the other department heads.”
Holman said he is open to suggestions.
“We are open-minded to new ideas and new ways to serve our community,” said Holman.
Contact the sanitation department at 626-0135.
© 2008 Southwest Times
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