| Mobile service to collect household hazardous waste | | Posted: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 9:17 pm
| The Tennessee Depart-ment of Environment and Conservation’s mobile household hazardous waste collection service will be in Obion County Saturday.
“Our household hazardous waste mobile collection service provides the people of Tennessee with a safe, environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted household chemicals and other potentially hazardous wastes at no cost,” said Environment and Conservation Com-missioner Bob Martineau. “This service travels across the state holding collection events in local communities, and we encourage all Tennesseans to take advantage of the opportunity to utilize it.”
On Saturday, any Ten-nessee resident may bring his or her household hazardous waste to the Obion County Recycling Center, located at 1003B Mount Zion Road in Union City, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Since the program’s in-ception in 1993, households have properly disposed of more than 20 million pounds of material. HHW material is considered flammable, toxic, reactive and/or corrosive and should not be placed with regular garbage.
Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, fluorescent bulbs, lithium and button batteries, aerosols, adhesives, medications, brake fluid, swimming pool chemicals and paint thinner. Items not accepted include ammunition, explosives, alkaline batteries, paint, electronics, medical waste and any items from a school, commercial business or agri-business.
Many counties and mu-nicipalities meet the needs of local residents by providing collection of batteries, oil, oil-based paint, antifreeze and electronic scrap — or BOPAE as it is sometimes called. When handled correctly, these BOPAE materials are minimally hazardous, but inappropriate for collection at household hazardous waste events. Call Obion County Solid Waste Department director Mike Cary at 885-8109 for more information.
When transporting materials to the site, place containers in sturdy boxes lined with newspaper to prevent spills and cross-contamination in the trunk of a car or back of a truck. Be sure to keep materials away from children and pets. Materials should be kept in the original container whenever possible. If not, place the waste in a plastic jug with a secure lid and label its contents.
For more information on the household hazardous waste mobile collection service, call Cary or 1-800-287-9013 or visit www.tn.gov/environment/swm/hhw.
Published in The Messenger 5.15.12 | | | | |
