As Lake County residents begin thinking about spring cleanup in and around their homes, the Lake County Department of Utilities and the Solid Waste District Team are preparing for a full season of special recycling collections.

The special service is provided exclusively to Lake County residents, noted Lake County commissioner John Plecnik.

“All the collections will be held at the (Lake County) Fairgrounds in Painesville Township from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” he said. “Items will not be accepted from commercial, business or industrial customers.”

Commissioner John Hamercheck added the county understands and recognizes the “vital importance of protecting and safeguarding the environment” for future generations.

“Through a cooperative effort between county government and its residents, these special collections serve as a venue by which hazardous items can be properly and safely disposed of, rather than being buried in our landfills,” he said.

For the time being, various novel coronavirus safety requirements will remain in effect — including masks being required by residents delivering items in addition to site personnel.

All accepted items must be in the trunk area of the vehicle, the department emphasized. Items located in front or back seats will not be accepted.

Items on trailers will only be accepted at the tire and hazardous waste collections.

Electronics collections will be held on April 24 and Aug. 14.

Prohibited at this collection are any items on a trailer, TVs, monitors, exercise equipment, loose batteries, large appliances, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and any item containing freon.

Officials noted all memory components on computer-related devices will be professionally erased or destroyed in a secure facility prior to being recycled. There are no fees associated with this collection.

The tire collection will be held on May 1.

Each resident can bring up to six car or light truck tires, off rim, at no cost. Additional tires will still be accepted at a charge of $2 each, and any tire on a rim will cost $4. Oversized tires will cost $10 each.

Only cash or checks will be accepted. Checks should be made payable to the Lake County Department of Utilities.

The TV collection will be held on May 8, for TVs and monitors only.

Specifically, residents may bring LCD, plasma and other flat TV or computer screens of any size, free of charge.

Tube televisions and CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors will also be accepted, with a fee of $5 for tube screens up to 21 inches, and $10 for tube screens 22 inches and greater.

The $10 fee will also apply to both projections and console televisions of any size. As with the tire collection, only cash and checks will be accepted.

On Aug. 14, a combined TV and electronics collection will occur.

Aside from the television-related items and fee structure listed above, electronics will also be accepted.

Hazardous waste collections will be held on June 5 and Sept. 25.

Keeping substances in their original containers or marking them, if possible, is recommended to shorten processing times.

If residents have a gasoline mixture in a container, the gasoline container can be emptied on-site and returned to the resident while in line.

All household hazardous waste collected during these events will be recycled or destroyed safely by neutralization or incineration. There are no fees associated with this collection.

For a complete listing of all accepted items, visit bit.ly/2021SPCollections, refer to social media by searching @LCDUOhio or call 440-350-2645.