KVOA

Posted: Nov 19, 2009 8:50 AM

CORPUS CHRISTI - The City of Corpus Christi Solid Waste Operations Department has been compiling information showing the amounts of items collected around the community as part of the Pride Corpus Christi "Corpus Christi Clean Sweep" effort that was held Saturday, November 14, 2009.

The Pride Campaign is spearheaded by the City's Pride Corpus Christi Committee. Officials say all indications are that the event on Saturday was quite a success. For example, the several hundred volunteers taking part in the effort collected 15.14 tons of debris, as well as 35 used tires and three refrigerators. At the same, residents disposed of a total of 460 cubic yards of residential waste, construction materials and brush at the Citizen Collection Center at the J.C. Elliott Transfer Station. By comparison, 87 cubic yards of materials were disposed of during a free disposal event during the same weekend in 2008. That represents a 429 percent increase in the amount of debris that was disposed of this year!

In conjunction with the clean sweep effort, the City partnered with CITGO Refining and the Goodwill Industries/Dell Computer Reconnect Program to offer the annual free Electronics Recycling (E-Recycling) event. That effort resulted in about 82,750 pounds of electronics equipment being dropped off at the collection site, compared to about 60,000 pounds collected last year, That's an increase of about 36 percent.

"I was very encouraged to see the successes of Saturday's Clean Sweep Program, Free Disposal Day and Electronics Recycling events," said Lawrence Mikolajczyk, Director of Solid Waste Operations. "With the Mayor's Pride initiative, there is an emerging cohesive spirit to create a cleaner and healthier environment. I'd like to express my thanks to all the volunteers that came out to show pride in our city," Mikolajczyk said.

Saturday marked the kick off of the Pride Campaign, in which City Council members choose clean up sites around the community, and work alongside volunteers in those areas. Similar events will be held quarterly throughout the year. For more information, please visit www.pridecc.com.