ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 30, 1994                   TAG: 9408020032
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short


GARBAGE COLLECTION TO EXPAND

Roanoke County residents will be able to get bulk garbage pickup on demand come September.

Instead of regular brush and bulk item pickup, residents can call whenever they have large items to be picked up. The county is planning to pick up the trash within two days to two weeks after residents call.

Brush, furniture and items like washing machines can be picked up for free, but hazardous materials and contractors' material are not included, said Gardner Smith, director of general services for the county.

The county already offers "freeloader" trailers overnight to residents who have large amounts of trash to be hauled away, although all the trailers are reserved through October.

The idea is to discourage illegal dumping. When asked about recycling, Smith said, "We're still trying to work on that."

The county also is continuing to replace regular trash cans at households with containers that can be picked up by the automated "one-armed bandit" trucks. Smith said more than 90 percent of the homes in Roanoke County have this service.

"You won't find another county around that collects at every residence like we do," he said.

The new service is not expected to cost any more, Smith said, but the Board of Supervisors will review it in six months.



 by CNB