Local governments who make up the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District are concerned that more and more televisions will be dumped along county roads as consumers transition from analog to digital, now set for June 2009.
At its meeting on Feb. 17, the solid waste district discussed ways to educate residents on proper disposal and also set aside some grant funds to help counties with disposal of illegally dumped televisions.
Solid waste board members hope that residents will continue using their existing televisions by purchasing a converter box or dedicate them to video games and movies or, at the very least, recycle them because of the harmful components found inside analog televisions.
Cathode-ray tube (CRT) television sets are harmless when sitting on your entertainment center, but become hazardous when they are broken apart or burned.
For example, CRT televisions contain lead—a 20-inch set contains up to eight pounds of lead—which harms the kidneys, reproductive organs and impairs the mental development of children.
They also contain barium, which can cause gastrointestinal problems, muscle weakness and breathing difficulties; brominated flame retardants, which can cause thyroid damage and harm fetal development; mercury, which is linked to brain and kidney damage and can harm fetal development and cadmium, which long term can damage kidneys and bones.
If not disposed of properly, these toxins can leach out of televisions when they are broken, burned or improperly disassembled.
If you must discard that old set, recycling is the preferred option, and local opportunities are available, Snodgrass told the board.
The Rolla Recycling Center, 2141 Old St. James Road in Rolla (573-364-6693), the Rolla Area Shelter Workshop, 3900 Hy-Point Blvd., Rolla (573-364-2883), and the Pulaski County Sheltered Workshop, 3 industrial Rd., Richland (573-765-2500) will accept televisions sets during regular business hours, for a fee.
If you are passing through Springfield, Computer Recycling Center, 1434 N. National Ave., will also accept TVs for a fee.
The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District and Meramec Regional Planning Commission will host two-to-three special waste collections in 2009, and televisions will be accepted at all three for a small fee.
The first collection will be May 9 at Brewer Science parking lot in the Hy-Point Industrial Park, Rolla. A second collection will also be held in Maries County in the fall, and a third collection will be planned, if funds are available.
Because the district does anticipate some illegally dumped televisions, board members agreed to set aside some funds to cover disposal costs incurred by counties.
In other business, the board:
•  Accepted a proposal from Meramec Regional Planning Commission to continue administration of the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District. MRPC has served as the contract administrator since the district’s formation in 1991.
Changes in state law and regulations required that solid waste districts bid administration every five years. There were no other bidders for the work, which was advertised in the seven-counties served by the solid waste district.
Ozark Rivers contracts with MRPC to provide day-to-day operations and oversee special projects on behalf of the district.
The solid waste executive board will meet again on Apr. 28 and the full council will meet on June 16.
The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. Scott Murrell of Fort Leonard Wood serves as chairman.
The district’s strategy for solid waste reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, involves intense education and increased recycling efforts in member counties and cities.
Those needing more information on recycling can contact Snodgrass at 573-265-2993 or by e-mail at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.