Lawton schedules Trash Off Saturday to make the community sparkle

If you have some time Saturday, the City of Lawton has a few tasks for you.

And it will help brighten your community.

The 35th annual Lawton-Fort Sill Trash Off is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, with the parking lot of McMahon Auditorium, 801 NW Ferris, once again serving as headquarters. Simply stated, Trash Off is an organized effort to clean up the community, with volunteer crews working in parks, near major roadways, along the tops of drainage channels and on other high-profile areas to clean up the trash and debris. At the same time, city workers will maintain a recycling center/collection area to collect bulk debris.

Joshua White, supervisor of the neighborhood services division, said Lawton’s annual event coincides with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful and the Great American Cleanup, all efforts to get people out and clean up their communities, especially those areas marred with excessive debris.

“It’s to get out into the community to make the town and state look great,” White said.

And those volunteers aren’t slackers. Last year’s 220-member work crews collected almost 40 tons of debris in the community.

White said Wednesday that almost 200 volunteers have signed up to participate in Saturday’s event, with volunteer groups ranging from families, to groups such as the Buffalo Soldiers and Girl Scouts, to businesses such as Pam and Barry’s Team RE/MAX Professionals.

“It’s a cross-section of the community,” White said, adding he still accepting volunteer workers who can either register in advance or sign up the day of the event.

Volunteers can ask for specific sites to clean, or accept an assignment from White. All volunteers have to do is provide the man-, woman- or kid-power; the city will provide trash sacks, gloves and T-shirts.

While volunteer crews are cleaning up visible parts of the city, workers with the City of Lawton will be accepting bulk items that residents may have taking space up at home. City officials say it’s the same types of things normally are accepted during monthly curbside bulk cleanup, but maybe people had too much debris or missed their monthly collection day.

But there are some limits, White said

There are things that won’t be accepted: lab waste, ammunition and explosives, compressed gas cylinders, commercial waste, tractor tires, tires mounted on rims and hazardous materials. Waste oil also won’t be accepted this year and there won’t be a paper shredding service.

So, what can you bring? Batteries, tires without rims and no larger than truck size, scrap metal, appliances, fluorescent bulbs, fire extinguishers and latex paint.

“Pretty much anything you do during bulk cleanup,” White said.

White said residents also might consider household items they may have laying around and don’t use any more, but could be used by others. Members of Sunrise Adult & Teen Challenge will be at the Trash Off collection site accepting donations of items they can sell in their thrift store.

“That bag of clothes or furniture,” White said, of potential donations.