South Central Solid Waste Management District

05/18/2026

The South Central Solid Waste Management District Office will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2026 in observance of Memorial Day, and will reopen Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at 8:00.

05/12/2026

♻️An electronic waste collection event was held in West Plains on Saturday, May 9 at the Materials Recycling Facility. Some of the items collected included tv's, laptops, monitors, and microwaves, etc.

Please note that the next electronic waste collection event will be held in the fall. No location has been determined yet. Please keep an eye on our page for more information.

A special thanks to Computer Recycling Center for their safe collection of the electronics and data destruction services.♻️

05/01/2026

The South Central Solid Waste Management District Office will be closed on Friday, May 8, 2026 in observance of Truman Day. We will reopen on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 8:00.

04/06/2026

The South Central Solid Waste Management District is partnering with the City of West Plains to host an electronics waste collection event free of charge to residents of Douglas, Howell, Oregon, Ozark, Shannon, Texas, and Wright counties.

The event will be held at the West Plains Materials Recycling Facility (Transfer Station), at 1853 Old Airport Road.

Items that will be collected are listed on the attached flyer. If you have any questions, please feel free to call Brent Lidgard, Coordinator, at 417-256-4226.

03/24/2026

Keeping Missouri highways litter-free is a team effort.
Do your part by picking up litter and securing your loads.

In 2025, MoDOT spent $13 million and 154,000 labor hours to remove litter from more than 385,000 acres of right of way along nearly 34,000 state highway miles.

That might seem like a lot of numbers but it represents a lot of trash. MoDOT doesn't put the litter on the roads, but its crews are the ones responsible for picking it up, diverting time, resources and taxpayer dollars away from other important projects.

Keeping Missouri’s highways clean is a shared responsibility. MoDOT, contractors and volunteers work hard to pick up litter that shouldn’t be there. MoDOT is asking all Missourians to be responsible for securing loads and putting litter in its proper place.

There are litter-prevention resources available for those interested in supporting the ongoing beautification efforts:

No MOre Trash! – Missouri’s statewide litter-prevention campaign includes educational tools, prevention tips and cleanup programs to help clean up Missouri roadways.
https://www.modot.org/no-more-trash

Keeping Missouri Beautiful – MoDOT’s volunteer litter pickup program for Missouri state routes. Volunteer groups may sign up and perform one-time litter cleanup events that are coordinated through MoDOT’s district offices. MoDOT provides trash bags, safety vests and safety guidance before each event.
https://www.modot.org/litter-cleanup

Sponsor-A-Highway – Groups, organizations and businesses can sponsor a highway and pay a private company to clean up litter on their behalf. This program is currently only available in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas.
https://www.modot.org/sponsor-highway

Help Clean Up Missouri and Sponsor A Highway Missouri's Sponsor-A-Highway program offers one more way for Missouri to have cleaner and safer roadsides. Groups, organizations and businesses can sponsor a highway in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas and pay a private company, Adopt-A-Highway Litter....

03/18/2026

Today marks a global moment of collective action and shared purpose. 🌟

Global Recycling Day highlights the importance of recycling in building resilient systems, supporting responsible resource use, and strengthening a more circular future. ♻️

It’s a reminder that progress is shaped through collaboration across communities, sectors, and borders. 🤝🏻

Thank you for being part of this movement and for contributing, in your own way, to a more sustainable world. 🏆



(recycling, sustainable, global recycling day, 18th march, global movement, planet, mother earth)

02/04/2026

Significant changes in the state’s Solid Waste Management program have been proposed through Missouri HB 2761. If enacted, the legislation would eliminate the 20 local solid waste management districts in the state and increase the tipping fee at existing landfills to provide funding for the cleanup of abandoned landfills across the state.

The South Central Solid Waste Management District (SCSWMD) has worked in partnership with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for decades, representing the interests of the seven counties in our region. Elimination of the district would shift the management of funds allocated to the district solely to Missouri DNR. Proponents of the bill argue that this is an effort to improve program efficiency by cutting out the “middleman.” While improvements in efficiency are always welcomed, there is concern that the price paid for these gains will be the loss of local decision making regarding how funds are spent within the district.

Over the past five years, the South Central Solid Waste Management District has awarded $2,153,371 in grant funding to support recycling efforts in our cities and counties. These funds have provided equipment for recycling operations, wages to supply the personnel necessary to sustain local recycling efforts, a regional household hazardous waste drop off facility, and so much more.
Over the past three years, the South Central Solid Waste Management District has collected and diverted the following materials from the landfill through district-wide grant programs:

Abandoned Tires: 164.87 tons
Electronic Waste: 55.24 tons
Household Hazardous Waste: 9.07 tons

While the cleanup of abandoned landfills is an important issue which should be addressed, Missourians are now being asked to do so by giving up the right to make decisions at the local level. The South Central Solid Waste Management’s “middleman” has decades of experience in recycling and waste management and understands the unique challenges associated with keeping recycling operations open in rural areas where operational efficiencies will never match that of larger, more urbanized areas.
Please reach out to your Missouri State Representative with your thoughts on this issue and the value found in local decision making, particularly in parts of the state that are often and easily overlooked when efficiency becomes the sole measure of success.

02/03/2026

The Scrap Tire Surface Material Grant Call is now open and has been posted:

https://dnr.mo.gov/waste-recycling/financial-assistance-opportunities/scrap-tire-surface-material-grant

This Grant Call will be open until March 31, 2026. This program offers grants for the cost and delivery of scrap tire material for surfacing projects and projects that use a product made from at least 40% Missouri-generated scrap tires.

If you have any questions, please contact Brent Lidgard at the South Central Solid Waste Management District at 417-256-4226 or by email at [email protected].

Application Period is OpenDuring the 2019 legislative session, t

02/02/2026

Was reducing your waste part of your New Year's Resolution for 2026? Getting started on your zero-waste journey is easier than you think!

🌿 Refuse single-use plastics
🌿 Repurpose and reuse
🌿 Start composting scraps

Every step helps create cleaner, greener, more beautiful communities.

More tips to help you get started: kab.org/how-to-get-your-individual-zero-waste-journey-started

02/02/2026

🇺🇸 The South Central Solid Waste Management District Office will be closed in observance of Presidents' Day on Monday, February 16. We will reopen on Tuesday, February 17 at 8:00. 🇺🇸