Clean-up drags in 150 tons of scrap metal

MAT-SU -- Nearly 150 tons of scrap metal, more than 450 refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers and nearly 550 vehicles were hauled, towed or dragged into two collection sites last weekend during the Mat-Su Borough's annual Bumper Drag.

Although last year's cleanup netted more than 1,000 junk cars, Borough Code Compliance Officer Jane Dale said that's because this year's event was scaled down a bit.

Last year, Dale said, seven collection sites were scattered around the Valley. At this year's Bumper Drag, just two collection sites were used -- one at Tait Road off Bogard Road and one off Sullivan Road in the Butte.

Dale was instrumental in coordinating the event and has been working for the past three years to make sure the annual Bumper Drags go off without a hitch.

Part of the reason for the downswing, Dale explained, is the Alaska Army National Guard, who uses the event as a training exercise, requested the collection sites be located in the borough's core area. During last year's Valleywide collection, the Guard manned three sites that covered a significant distance. The central location, Dale said, seemed to result in more vehicle drop-offs by both the Guard and members of the public.

Two years ago, when three sites were manned at Houston, Knik and at Grizzly Towing, approximately 450 vehicles were collected.

"The Guard worked at Knik and Houston [that year] and delivered just over 100 vehicles at each site," Dale said. "The Guard did a little bit better this year."

The 94 Guardsmen that took part in the training exercise this year brought in at least 130 vehicles at each site.

More than half the junk

vehicles toted into the Tait Road collection site came from members of the public. Significantly more refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers were brought in from the public at both that site and the Butte collection site.

Dale said the event would not have been a success without help from volunteers at the event. Nearly 30 volunteers from six community groups got involved to make the event a success -- volunteers were on hand from the Gateway Community Council, Valley Community for Recycling Solutions, Butte Community Council, City of Wasilla, Friends of Mat-Su and Valley Alaska Center for the Environment.

Dale said Joe LeBeau, director of Valley Alaska Center for the Environment, helped in getting a large number of batteries removed from the Jim Creek area. After LeBeau alerted borough staff to the junked batteries in that area, Dale said a number of Guard members were allocated to collect the batteries and put them into a tote provided by Interstate Batteries. That company, Dale said, collected the tote after the event and hauled them away for

recycling

"I'm glad they're out of there," Dale said.

The scrap metal, appliances and vehicles collected over the weekend are set to be crushed and barged Outside. At the Mat-Su Borough Assembly's meeting Tuesday, a $24,270 contract was awarded to Car Killer of Anchorage for removal of the vehicles and other collected items. Dale said Car Killer, like companies that have removed the detritus in the past, crush it into cubes and ship it Outside.

What's most significant, Dale said, is that the junk is gone -- and that it was an event made successful by the cooperation of the community.

"It's really a community project," Dale said. "Without the help of the volunteers and community councils, it would be difficult to make it happen."