ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Environmental Protection Agency says its contractors collected nearly 3,000 tons of residential debris and hazardous material as part of a flood cleanup effort in eastern Missouri.

EPA Region 7 said Tuesday that the material was collected following the devastating December floods that caused significant damage in St. Louis, St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency assigned residential debris collection duties to the EPA.

EPA officials say the debris included, among other things, 179 propane tanks, more than 1,000 appliances such as refrigerators and stoves, and 1,310 tons of sandbags.