Oak Ridge Neighborhood Association

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Who Ya Gonna Call?

Even the best of neighborhoods have problems sometimes ... and when an issue arises, who ya gonna call?
Print this out and save it ... or better yet, print it out and give a copy to a neighbor who may not have internet access. Remember, neighborhoods fall when the elderly and underprivileged are not kept informed. Criminals thrive on ignorance and silence ... so share this information and let the sun shine in!

Important Info

Yard Waste Disposal

Branches - City of Springfield offers free tree limb pickups on a ward-by-ward basis.

Here are the designated months for each ward. Persons unsure of what ward they live in should check their voter registration card or call the Sangamon County election office at 753-6740.

Wards 2, 4 and 5: April and August.
Wards 6 and 7: May and September.
Wards 1 and 3: June and October
Wards 8, 9 and 10: July and November.

Residents should have their branches out by the curb by the first day of their designated month. Residents also can drop off their branches free of cost at the city's Southwest Facility on Recreation Drive. The facility is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Grass and leaves - Banned from being included with general trash.

Grass, leaves and other yard waste must be placed in paper yard waste bags
or in an enclosed can marked "yard waste." The bags or containers must have a special sticker from your waste hauler's company in order to be collected.

The stickers cost $1.50 each and are available at haulers' offices and various hardware stores. These $1.50 stickers are only required on yard waste bags during the city's yard waste pickup programs, normally held in the spring and fall.

This spring's program begins April 15, 2002, and runs for two weeks. Residents should have the yard waste out by the curb by 7 a.m. on April 15 and 22 to have containers picked up for later in the week.

The fall program, which is primarily to collect fallen leaves, typically runs for four weeks in November. Watch the State Journal-Register for details.

General Trash Pickup - Springfield City ordinance requires every household to sign up for weekly trash pickup. Prices for city residents are $11.25 per month for one can of garage per week and $13.75 for two cans.

The main private residential waste haulers in Springfield are:

Capitol Waste, 522-7797
Chatham Disposal, 529-5361
Lake Area Disposal, 522-9317
State Disposal, 525-2470

Springfield curbside (blue box)recycling - Residents living in buildings with up to four living units can sign up by calling their private waste haulers.

Recycling pickup is already included in customers' garbage pickup fee. Items accepted:

Paper - clean and dry newspapers, junk mail and chip board (single-ply
cardboard used for cereal, tissue and soda boxes). Plastic - bottles and jugs marked with No. 1 and No. 2 recycling symbols. Metal - food cans, aluminum beverage cans, pie tins, clean aluminum foil, empty aerosol cans that did not contain paint. Glass - only clear bottles and jars accepted. No glass window panes or dishware. No colored glass.

Recylcing Preparation guidelines:
Paper products should be separated from metal and plastic items. On rainy days, the recycling box should be covered with plastic to keep paper dry. Items that contained food should be rinsed out. Lids and rings and protective foil coverings should be removed from container openings; labels may remain.

Drop-off recycling facilities -

Lake Area Recycling Services
2742 S. Sixth St.
Offers 24-hour access to its drop-off facility. Accepts the same materials as the curbside program (with the exception of glass) along with corrugated cardboard and magazines.

F&W Resources
3327 Terminal Ave.
Business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. Accepts the same materials as the curbside program
(with the exception of glass) along with corrugated cardboard. Oversized items or large piles of debris.

Waste Management of Illinois' Transfer Station
3000 E. Ash St.
Accepts large piles of solid waste,
including remodeling and demolition debris and bulky items. Also accepts large appliances without Freon. Typical charge is $40 per ton of material.

Mervis Iron
1100 S. Ninth St.
Accepts and recycles large metal appliances without cooling units free of cost. A $15 charge is applied for each unit that needs Freon removed.

Tires - Can be brought to various service stations, including:

Johnson & Johnson Auto Service Center, 1325 Stevenson Drive; Midtown Tire and Auto Service, 2110 Clear Lake Ave.; Neal Tire & Auto Service, 1014 S. Ninth St. Each store charges between $1.50 and $2 to get rid of one standard-sized tire.

Used motor oil - Can be brought to various service stations, including the three Auto Zone locations in Springfield, Johnson & Johnson and Neal Tire & Auto. Each location has various limits and charges. Call for details.

Charitable Organizations - Springfield's social service and charitable agencies are almost always in need of material either to resell in a thrift store or to donate to people in need.

Here's a sampling of just a few local programs. Call your favorite charities to see what they need.

The Salvation Army - Accepts wide range of household items, including carpeting, clothes, bed sets, kitchenware, electronic equipment, musical instruments, appliances, wooden furniture, patio furniture, lawn equipment and automobiles. Items are resold in the thrift stores. All items should be in good useable condition. Main drop-off center is at 11th and Jefferson streets. 528-7573.

Goodwill Industries - Accepts clothing, kitchenware, knickknacks and other
household items to be resold at its thrift stores, which raise money for
Goodwill's assistance programs. No large items (appliances and furniture) are accepted. Items may be dropped of at Goodwill's drop boxes throughout the
city. 789-0400.

Computer Banc - Accepts used computer equipment (hard drives, monitors,
printers, keyboards, mice and software) in working condition. Materials are
given to needy families. Computers should have Pentium processors.
Call 528-4311 to set up a donation appointment.

The Care Center - Accepts baby-related items (furniture, car seats, clothing)
to donate to needy expectant mothers. Drop off materials at center's office, 400 N. Ninth St. (in St. John's East)
from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday.
Or call 525-5630.

More information - Other questions about waste and recycling can be directed to the city's division of waste and recycling at 789-2327.

Contact Numbers

Scattered Site Housing Problems - 753-5757
.....Springfield Housing Authority
.....Brian Johnston

Springfield Police Gang Unit - 788-8311