BEVERLY — The unusually warm winter that we've had here on the North Shore and spring's arrival this coming Tuesday means people's thoughts are turning to cleaning.
Now is the perfect time to clean out attics, basements and garages, since Beverly Little League has a recycling drive underway and is collecting all scrap metals.
Four weeks from today on Saturday, April 14, representatives from Beverly Little League will gladly take metals from 8 a.m. until noon at Lynch Park in Beverly. For those early birds looking to get a head start on the cleanup, there's a recycling container for drop-offs at Harry Ball Field.
Items must be at least 50 percent metal. Scrap-It will haul away the items at no cost, which means tons of trash won't go into landfills and will reduce the Garden City's tipping costs. At the same time, funds will help the Beverly Little League program.
Beverly Little League is looking for aluminum siding, BBQ grills, batteries, electronic motors, fans, fire extinguishers, lawn mowers (no fluids), microwave ovens, toasters, baby strollers, tools, appliances, auto parts, bicycles, computers (no monitors), ladders, leaf blowers and X-ray film to name some of the desired items.
When fundraising coordinator Laurie Johnson checked the bin at Harry Ball Field recently, she was pleased to discover it was almost halfway full.
"I did a drive in Beverly a few years ago when we were building the North Beverly Boundless playground," said Johnson. "It was very successful, and I have continued to receive calls and emails from folks wanting to donate and recycle their metal for a good cause.
"When I joined the board at Beverly Little League last fall, they asked me to help come up with some fundraising ideas; I knew scrap metal was what I was going to propose. I originally came up with the idea when I saw the "Scrap It" truck at one of my son's soccer games. I called them and proposed a drive; they loved the idea and we worked out the details to organize it."
Johnson said one of the most appealing things about this event is that it's a win-win situation that doesn't cost people anything to participate.
"You can provide a service so that folks can get rid of things from refrigerators to toasters for free," said Johnson. "And the metals are recycled. When you see massive amounts of metals taken away and not going into landfills, it feels good.
"We can reduce tipping costs for the city by not putting all this debris in our regular curbside trash pickup. The monies we raise will be used for field maintenance, scholarships, uniforms and other things."
