PHOTO BY PAULA MULLER
Michael Greene unloads a child’s toy car with the help of Kyle Liford, left, at the Lynn Transfer Station.
BY DILLON DURST
LYNN — Having trouble getting rid of that old couch?
The city’s Department of Public Works has you covered.
The Clean Lynn Neighborhood and Streets Program offers free disposal of large items, such as mattresses, recliners, tables and refrigerators.
On Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., residents can take their junk to the Lynn Transfer Station on Commercial Street.
The service is funded through a $50,000 grant from the Gerondelis Foundation. The Lynn-based organization has committed to one year of funding, pending results.
“The early indication is that it’s working,” said Gregory Demakis, the foundation’s president.
Since it started in late April, more than 146 tons of trash has been collected, said Lisa Nerich, DPW associate commissioner.
Nerich said the free disposal program aims to curb residents discarding items too big for their trash barrels on city streets or alleys.
“We want to live in a clean city,” she said. “It’s a great benefit for our neighborhoods.”
The endowment contributed more than $1 million to a variety of scholarships and programs nationwide in 2014, including $113,000 for scholarships in Lynn, according to IRS records.
Locals have to haul their trash to the dump site and provide identification upon arrival.
“We’re trying to make our neighborhood cleaner,” Nerich said. “It’s a great opportunity.”
Dillon Durst can be reached at ddurst@itemlive.com.