For the first time, Niles Township will host a spring cleanup day for township residents.

From 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 9, residents can deposit items in a pair of dumpsters in the parking lot of the township hall, which is located at 320 Bell Road in Niles.

The spring cleanup day will be held in cooperation with the Southeast Berrien County Landfill and is free to residents.

“We’ve heard some people say they don’t have the money to go to the dump, so we are offering this free day to do that,” said township Clerk Terry Eull.

Volunteers will be onsite to make certain only authorized items are thrown away.

Residents will be responsible for placing items into the dumpsters.

The event is first come, first served, so residents are advised to show up early.

Peg Hartman, the township’s zoning administrator and code enforcement officer, said the township would not be able to accept items once the dumpsters are full.

“Items are not to be left onsite — they can only be put into dumpsters,” she said.

Eull said the township is offering the event with the hope of helping people clean up their properties at no expense.

Eull credited board member Dick Noble for coming up with the idea. Noble sits on the landfill board.

The township approved the spring clean up day at Monday’s regular meeting of the board of trustees.

Also Monday, the township received an update from Bryan Rodgers, of Southwest

Michigan Pickleball, on the progress of converting two tennis courts near township hall into six pickleball courts.

The conversion will come at no cost to the township. Eull said Southwest Michigan Pickleball would be pay for the cost.

“They are going to patch some cracks in the surface and do some painting. They are spending a few thousand dollars,” he said.

The conversion is expected to take place when the weather gets warmer this spring.

Acceptable Items:

• Municipal solid waste (basic trash)

• Furniture

• Clothing, shoes

• Wooden items

• Plastic items

• Animal waste

• Carpet

• Dishes

• Diapers

• Electronics (computers, TVs)

• Flooring

• Food waste

• Dry latex paint

• Mirrors

• Glass

• Paper products

Non-acceptable Items:

• Refrigerators

• Freezers

• Air conditioners

• Dehumidifiers

• Free liquids of any type

• Yard waste, brush, grass or leaves

• Tires

• Oil based paints

• Solvents

• Chemicals

• Propane tanks