“We've really had a productive year with the program,” said Todd Darden. “The amount of trash we've collected really picked up over the last few months. Last month we collected nearly 43 tons, which was very impressive. That's 43 tons of washing machines, sofas and other large items that would otherwise be sitting on lawns and in back yards. So we're very pleased with the progress.”

The program, which aims to help area residents remove large, cumbersome items from their property they might not otherwise be able to transport to the landfill, began in April in the city's District 1, and is slated to canvas District 6 — represented by Councilman Greg Biddison — Friday.

“Some of the more typical items we pick up are appliances that don’t work anymore, couches and mattresses,” said Darden. “Those are the kind of things that we can take to our landfill and we’re allowed to pick up. However, we can’t pick up any household hazardous waste. That means any kind of chemicals including lawn chemicals, car batteries and tires and things of that nature. We also won’t be picking up any tree branches, shrubs or things like that this year.

“We’re trying to target people who are elderly, handicapped or otherwise don’t have the means to get these large items to our landfill. This is a service the city is going to provide as a courtesy to those people and give them the opportunity to get things off of their property they might not be able to otherwise.”

Darden said city residents utilizing the program need to be careful not to place their large items in close proximity to gas meters and other utility fixtures

“If you cover the meters up, it’s hard for us to know where they are,” said Darden. “A lot of time we have to bring in equipment to pick those large items up, which makes things go quicker. We want to make sure our employees are safe while they are picking these things up.”

All items must be by the curb in the city’s right-of-way no sooner than 24 hours before the scheduled collection. Items need to be separated as much as possible for the trip to the municipal landfill.

“To be placed on the pick up list, all residents have to do is call 264-2504 or 264-2501, and we’ll get them set up. If they don’t call and get on the list, we can’t pick up their items.”

For more information on the program and maps of the six city districts, visit the city of Big Spring Web site at www.ci.big-spring.tx.us, or call 264-2504.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it