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MADISON — Every year, Rockingham County residents get a free one-week pass to dump waste at the landfill.

This year’s free cleanup week ended Saturday.

And as they have every year, residents responded, tossing tires and chucking old furniture and toys in an effort to clean up their neighborhoods.

Last year, the landfill took in an extra 600  tons during the annual spring Clean Up Week. That’s on top of the typical daily haul of about 275  tons, said Jack Brinkley , the county’s solid waste program manager.

The weeklong event has been around for many years, Brinkley said.

“It was an incentive really to get people to clean up,” he said.

Landfill employees work overtime to handle the additional waste that comes in during that week.

Totals for this year’s cleanup weren’t available, but the program again appeared to be popular.

Last week, people brought in a variety of items.

Forrest Bray of Bethany saved up his garbage for the past year and hauled it to the landfill on a trailer Tuesday  morning.

More than 50 trucks stopped by before 10 a.m.  that day to drop off items, recycling attendant Florence Chandler  said.

People came from all over the county to take advantage of the free disposal.

Typically, the landfill charges to take in certain items. But disposal of other items is always free, including recyclable items such as appliances and scrap metals.

Kenon Pruitt of Mad­ison brought a truckload from his home Tuesday . He planned to return later in the week after cleaning up at his father’s home.

“When I found out about this, I took the week off,” Pruitt said.

The free disposal week, which ended Saturday , is only open to county residents.

But sometimes folks from neighboring counties try to take advantage, Brinkley said.

The landfill is planned for up to eight phases, or sections that are filled in one at a time. What’s being used now, Phase 3 , encompasses about 9.5  acres, Brinkley said.

Some items are never accepted because of what the landfill is permitted to dispose of, Brinkley said.

“We had some paint that come in this morning,” he said last week. “We’re not set up to take that, so we had to turn that back.

“Occasionally, we get stuff like that.”

Staff photographer Joseph Rodriguez contributed to this story.

Contact Jennifer Fernandez at 373-7064 or jennifer.fernandez@news-record.com