The city has a solution for the trash that’s been piling up in your garage all winter.

Twice a year the city collects trash that can be recycled or cannot otherwise be picked up with normal waste, and the spring Clean & Green event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 11, in the parking lot of the Murphy City Hall complex, 206 N. Murphy Road.

With proof of residence, Murphy residents can dispose of such things as unwanted or broken electronic items like televisions and radios, computers and printers and miscellaneous items like blenders and coffee machines and bigger appliances.

Disposal teams also accept and sort hazardous household waste like pesticides, paint, solvents, fuel and cleaning chemicals. Fluorescent tubes and incandescent light bulbs are cheerfully accepted along with metal scrap, clothes and shoes.

Be prepared for a wait since the event attracts hundreds of participants, but the disposal process goes quickly because no receipts are issued since items are not being appraised or reused.

Residents are urged to pack their loads in their cars, trucks or trailers in order of how they will be dropped off: hazardous household waste closest to the driver, followed by documents for shredding, electronics, and finally small household items at the very back of the vehicle so they can be unloaded first.

Although the lanes through the City Hall parking lot will be marked one way, a passing lane will allow residents to skip a station if they don’t have anything to drop off at that location.

There are some things the city does not accept, including tires, guns and ammunition, Styrofoam, medicine and hypodermic needles. But the needles can be collected with normal trash if they are sealed into a sharps container or sturdy jug that is securely taped shut. Likewise, paint cans may also be picked up with normal trash if the paint is no longer liquid.

The event also does not collect drugs or medications, but a separate drug take-back event sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration will be held Saturday, April 25, in the lobby of the Murphy Police Department.

The next Clean & Green will be held in the fall.

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