It was a beautiful sunny day this Spring as residents poured into the Lenawee County Fairground to participate in the spring Lenawee Community Collection Event. Organized by the Lenawee County Solid Waste Committee, this event is designed to provide free or low-cost recycling opportunities to area residents as they clean up their yards, garages, sheds, and basements during the spring months.
Many Hands Make Light Work
Working at the event to haul tires from resident cars and fill the waiting semi-trailer were residents from Lenawee County’s Maurice Spear Campus. These youth were excited to be a part of the event and to have the opportunity to earn some money.
“These kids are awesome,” explained Rebecca Borton, Lenawee County Solid Waste Coordinator. “They are such hard workers and have such great attitudes. The money that we collect per tire helps pay them for their efforts.”
Residents brought many tires throughout the morning, ultimately filling an entire trailer worth of tires to be recycled. These tires are now not sitting out in backyards or behind garages or barns, waiting to collect water.
“Mosquitos breed in standing water,” explained Kasee Johnson, REHS/RS, Director of Environmental Health for the Lenawee County Health Department. “Tires tend to be something that we forget are out there behind our garage, barn, or shed, but those tires collect water when it rains. Mosquitos are not just annoying, but they can potentially carry dangerous diseases like West Nile virus. I’m excited to see so many of our residents eliminating this risk from their yards.”
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
More than just tires were collected at the event. Residents were also given the opportunity to recycle batteries, packing materials, Styrofoam with partners from Battery Wholesale, Greenjak, and Dart Container. Goodwill was also onsite to give residents the opportunity to securely shred documents.
“It was amazing to see so many of our community partners come together for this event,” explained Borton. “We are all committed to providing easy, convenient, low-cost ways for our residents to recycle. Everything that was recycled here today is one less item that is making it’s way to a landfill.”
For more information about recycling opportunities in Lenawee County, please visit our website at lenawee.mi.us/solidwaste.