Trashy
By Staff
John Hicks FCT Staff Writer
Franklin residents should soon notice a reduction in the amount of trash and litter along county roads and highways.
On Wednesday, Phillip Wilson, manager of the Franklin County Solid Waste Department, said that in the near future the county will have a full-time litter control officer.
The litter control officer will be responsible for managing inmate crews from the Franklin County Jail. The crews will be selected from prisoners who do not represent a security risk. Crews will be made up of four to six inmates who will remove trash and litter from roadside right-of-ways and clean up illegal dump sites.
Wilson said residents should not feel like they have to limit their involvement to putting litter in its place.
Those who pay a garbage fee in Franklin County get two free dumps per month at the county landfill. Residents who wish to use the landfill must show a fee receipt or a bill stub. The landfill is located just off Alabama 24 on Franklin 36.
Hazard-ous items, which include televisions and computer components, should be disposed of at the Franklin County Transfer Station located at the landfill.
The county has a three-year contract with the Walnut landfill for disposal of Subtitle D waste.
The Franklin County landfill is inspected several times a year by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and a private environmental testing company to ensure that the facility is environmentally sound.
Refrigerators and similar items must be drained of freon before the landfill will accept them. Wilson suggested that residents take old refrigerators and car batteries to scrap yards, which will usually pay for the items.
In other news, Wilson said the department will take over house-to-house garbage collection in Russellville on April 1.
Wilson said the department plans a “mock run” the week before county service begins in order to iron out any difficulties.
Pick-up days will remain the same. Russellville residents who experience any problems with their garbage collection after April 1 should contact the department at 332-8412.
