The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe is conducting a cleanup effort through the next two months that should come in handy for citizens who are looking to get rid of empty paint cans and old television sets and computers.

The Tribe’s Department of Natural Resources will conduct the cleanup, which began in January and runs through the end of March.

Elizabeth Wakeman, who is the “Brownsfield,” or hazardous materials coordinator at the Tribe’s DENR office, said the cleanup is open to all Flandreau residents. Items can be brought to the DENR office, located next to the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Office on South Center Street.

The office is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. It will be closed during lunch hour, from 12 to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 12 to 12:30 p.m. Fridays.

DENR officials will transport the old paint cans, computers and TV’s to the Brookings Landfill in April, Wakeman said.

Wakeman said the cleanup is being done to promote safe environmental practices and inform community members of the proper way to dispose of such items, which doesn’t include throwing them in ditches or fields.

Such dumping can have adverse affects on farming, and can cause other problems.

“If we don’t take care of our land then we don’t have good crops,” she said.

She hopes the Tribe and the rest of the Flandreau community will cooperate in an effort to make Flandreau a clean and safe environment.

“(I’ll) be happy if everybody would get involved and help us out,” she said. “Then we can work as a team.”

Anyone who has questions about the cleanup effort can call the DENR office at 997-5123 during the aforementioned business hours.