East County Times Column Oct. 2, 2008

What perfect timing. Oakley Disposal is having its Fall Clean Up Week, Oct. 6-10, just in time for the kids to be out of school and helping to clean up the mess in the garage. It’s the perfect time to pull up your sleeves and throw out all that garbage that’s made its way in there.
“This is usually the time when people clean up all the junk they’ve accumulated over the summer,” said Oakley Disposal manager David Adler.
Oakley Disposal offers two Clean Up weeks a year; the other is in the spring. It gives customers the chance to throw away a little more than usual. To be precise, Adler says that Oakley residents can throw out an additional two cubic yards or the equivalent of a dozen 32-gallon garbage bags. He said boxes can be used as well, but make sure that neither the boxes nor the bags are bigger than three feet in length or weigh more than 50 pounds.
Any kind of trash, yard cuttings and old junk can be brought down to the curb on cleanup week. For instance, small appliances that are not made with hazardous waste, like an old can opener, can be thrown away. Fall is usually a good time to trim trees and those trimmings can be bundled up with a simple cord. Old boxes can be broken down and tied up to be taken away.
There are, however, some limitations, so you can’t just go hog wild and start filling up garbage bags and boxes. One of the things to keep in mind is that Oakley Disposal cannot dispose of hazardous waste products. That includes items such as leftover paints and thinners, bottles of polishes or cleaners, glues or cements, pool cleaners, grease and rust solvents, used oil and oil filters, and even things like old fluorescent bulbs, batteries and lighter fluids. Some of these things might be in your garage now and unfortunately, this cleaning isn’t going to be the answer to getting rid of them.
Although if you are cleaning out the garage for the cleanup, keep those items aside in a separate box, because Adler says there is a local place where you can bring those to finally dispose of them. That’s the Delta Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility
at 2550 Pittsburg-Antioch Highway in Antioch. They are open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you are unsure if they will take something, call 756-1990 and ask.
Adler said that while Oakley Disposal won’t take old sofas, furniture and large appliances during Clean Up week, it does have a service available to residents any time during the year. All that is required is that the customer call the company and request a pickup. A nominal fee is charged for the service.
Adler said that the new Mt. Diablo Recycling Center is open in Pittsburg. This is the place to bring aluminum cans and plastic bottles and make a little spare change. They also accept newspapers and cardboard boxes. For more information, call 473-0180.
To participate in Clean Up week, Oakley residents should bring their trash to the curb on your regular garbage pickup day.