Residential oil and grease recycling

Metro Public Works and Metro Water Services (news release) will now accept residential fats, oils and greases for proper disposal at the Omohundro Convenience Center (directions to 1019 Omohundro Place) each Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here are instructions for transporting and disposing of these items:

"Collect the fats, oils and grease waste in a sturdy, sealed container in order to prevent leaks during transport to the Convenience Center for recycling. Open the lid on the recycling bin, pour the cooking oil or grease into the bin and dispose of the container in the dumpster."

Fats, oils, and grease can clog sewer lines and even cause back-ups in nearby homes' sewer lines. They can also result in overflows that pollute the environment with raw sewage (yuck). Please do your part to recycle these materials. If you have questions or need more information, please call Sonia Harvat at (615) 862-4494.

Brush and leaf collection updates

Good news for those of you who have "extra" leaves in your yards: There are three ways you can dispose of your leaves in the next few weeks:

1) Place your leaves in your alleyway (or near your curb if you do not have an alley) in biodegradable/brown paper bags by Sunday, November 19th, the beginning of the next scheduled brush collection sweep for Sylvan Park by Metro Public Works. (Note: Do not place your leaves in plastic bags for this option.)

2) Drop off your bagged leaves at Metro’s Bordeaux mulch facility at 1400 County Hospital Road free of charge. If your leaves are bagged in plastic, please plan to take the bags back home with you. Plastic bags will not be accepted with your leaves.

3) Place your leaves in your alleyway (or near your curb) in by Wednesday, December 27, in biodegradable/brown paper bags. MPW will complete pickup for this sweep by Monday, January 8th, 2007. (Again, no plastic bags permitted.)

For additional information about brush and leaf collection, see this MPW news release, this story in today's Tennessean, the MPW Web site or call Gwen Hopkins-Glasscock at (615) 880-2439.