By Seth Van Ast

Editorial Assistant

Sometimes there are those things around the house that you want to throw away but disposal can be expensive and some items can be a hazardous challenge to handle. Well the City of Wyoming will help residents take care of that as the city hosts its third annual Community Clean-Up Day, Saturday, April 21.

“It came about as an opportunity for people who maybe have refuse or recycling or household hazardous waste at their homes and weren’t sure on how to get ride of those items,” said Terra Wesseldyk, who is with the Wyoming Public Safety Department and is heading up this year’s event. “We wanted to help make Wyoming beautiful, so we developed a program in which people could come to a centralized location and get rid of all those items.”

Started in 2016 through a employee committee, the event encouraged many in the city to clean up and dispose of unwanted items. Every year the event has grown with last year, more than 400 vehicles going through the 2017 location at North Godwin Elementary School, which was a 20 percent increase over the previous year’s event. About 15,000 pounds of electronics were recycled including 140 tubed TVs. About 5,096 pounds of household hazardous waste was dropped off and 4,400 pounds of metal were recycled. About 43 dumpsters were filled and 60 toms of refuse was hauled away by Plummer’s Disposal.

Also every year, the event has been at a different location.

“It was developed as a plan in which we would move the location of the clean up to different areas in order to serve each area of the city,” Wesseldyk said. “So that people who weren’t able to bring large items to an area across the city, that if they had it closer to them they would be able to bring larger items to us.”

This year’s event will be at First Grand Rapids, 2100 44th St. SW. 

“People will need to enter traveling eastbound on 44th Street and enter at the northeast entrance of Grand Rapids First,” Wesseldyk said. “There will be lines and there will be volunteers showing where to enter. All the other entrances will be barricaded so nobody can go in any of the other entrances.”

Trash, recycling, and household hazardous waste will be accepted with a picture ID to show proof of Wyoming residency. Organizers are asking that people show up no later than 1:30 p.m. The Kent County Department of Public Works, Recycle Kent and the Salvation Army will be on hand to take various items.

The only items that citizens will be charged for dropping off will be mattresses, box springs and tires. All of this is being sponsored by the the Greater Wyomig Community Resource Alliance.

For questions or further information, call 616-530-7226 or visit wyomingmi.gov/cleanup