The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), in partnership with Keep Oklahoma Beautiful (KOB), will recognize the City of Stroud as an Oklahoma Clean Community during Stroud’s City Council meeting on April 14th at 6:00pm. The ceremony will be held at City Hall, 220 W. 2nd Street in Stroud.

The City of Stroud implemented a community cleanup program in 2007 involving Code Enforcement, voluntary community beautification, and visual infrastructure improvements to sidewalks and roads. Since 2007, the City has continued to expand and promote this message of community improvement and beautification.

Stroud is involved in many programs through Keep Oklahoma Beautiful, including the Great American Cleanup and Fresh Paint Days. They have also participated in the ODOT Trash-Off for many years. The City of Stroud holds two Cleanup Weeks each year where residents are encouraged to get involved in these programs. Each Cleanup Week is also an opportunity for residents to have large trash, debris and other eyesores disposed of free of charge.

This year, Stroud held their first tire collection event as part of their Spring Cleanup Week from March 28th-April 1st. A tire collection event is an opportunity for residents to bring used and unwanted tires for proper recycling free of charge. They collected over two hundred tires this year and plan to continue these collection events in the future.

DEQ and KOB recognize entities that participate in at least one tire collection event annually and other environmental service projects. DEQ encourages entities to coordinate a community-wide cleanup of used tires. These cleanups deter illegal dumping by providing a free disposal outlet. DEQ’s Tire Indemnity Fund will pay to have unused or abandoned tires hauled-off and recycled. Tire piles can be an eyesore and attract unwelcome pests, such as mosquitoes and rodents. After cleanup is complete and all criteria for other service projects are met, a community can be recognized as an Oklahoma Clean Community.

More information on the Used Tire Recycling Program is available at https://www.deq.ok.gov/land-protection-division/recycling/tire-recycling/ or by contacting Ferrella March at ferrella.march@deq.ok.gov or 405-702-5175.

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