It’s time for spring-cleaning in Blanco County. Residents, gather up your recyclable household materials and bring them to one of the upcoming household recyclables collection events. Volunteers and county administrators organized these events as a way for everyone, countywide, to properly dispose of recyclable materials.

The Communities of Blanco and Johnson City are hosting two collection events, one on April 10 in Johnson City and the other on April 24 in Blanco. The Johnson City event will take place at the IESI Landfill, address: 377 Transfer Road (off Highway 281 between Johnson City and the 290 intersection). The Blanco event will be at the Blanco County Precincts 1&4 yard, at 402 Blanco Avenue (behind Super S).

You can bring your recyclable household Batteries (rechargeable and lead acid), motor Oil, Paint (latex only please!), and Antifreeze, also known as BOPA materials, as well as your household electronics (computers, printers, etc.) and tires to the Blanco County Household Recyclables Collection Events.

Blanco County citizens can take this opportunity to rid their homes of used tires, car batteries, rechargeable batteries, used oil and oil filters, old computers, and televisions. Event organizers will see that all collected materials are properly recycled. Please bring items in tightly sealed containers – no need to have them leak in your vehicle or at the disposal site. The old or unwanted electronic components including computers, cell phones, and televisions will be screened for reuse and distributed properly or sent to a recycling facility.

Items not accepted include household chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, household cleaners, oil-based paints, paint thinners, gasoline, furniture polish, and all other chemical materials or substances.

The Blanco County BOPA collections are sponsored in cooperation with the Capital Area Planning Council of Governments, through a municipal solid waste grant recently awarded to Blanco County. The Lower Colorado River Authority is providing technical assistance to help plan and guide the events. Other collaborating organizations include Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District, Keep Blanco Beautiful, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Cities of Blanco and Johnson City.

These events, organized to help protect the environment, allow citizens the opportunity to conveniently dispose of recycled materials in hopes of preventing illegal dumping, protect water quality, and maximize the use of resources by encouraging waste reduction, recycling, and reuse. These collection events are the first step to developing an ongoing household waste collection program for all of Blanco County to enjoy.

Although volunteers are taking the majority of items free-of-charge, any citizens disposing of tires will be asked to make a small contribution of $1.00 per tire. In addition, tax-deductible donations will also be accepted.

Citizens can make donations at the event or participate in a community fund-raising campaign sponsored by Blanco County and the Colorado River Foundation. Community fundraising allows businesses, individuals, and organizations to make tax-deductible donations to help pay the costs of collecting and properly disposing of recyclables and hazardous wastes. Community involvement is important and a key factor in keeping Blanco County communities clean and safe.

For additional donation details please contact Tessa Doehrman at 830-868-6082 or Paul Granberg at 830-833-1077.