Hazardous waste disposal event set for this weekend in Haverhill

Published 10:27 am Tuesday, September 22, 2009

HAVERHILL — In spite of forecasts that call for rain Saturday, organizers of the fourth annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event say the show will go on, regardless of weather.

The event at the Dow Chemical plant in Haverhill is open to residents of Lawrence and Scioto counties. It will be 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

“This is your opportunity to properly dispose of things you can’t take to a landfill,” Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management Agency Director Dan Palmer said. “Take advantage of this. It’s free.”

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The event is by the solid waste management district, Veolia Environmental Services, Dow and Americas Styrenics, the event allows Lawrence and Scioto residents to discard of old hazardous waste that is not accepted at area landfills and is otherwise illegally dumped, creating new headaches out of the old hazards.

The collection event will include disposal of unwanted or old pharmaceuticals — prescription and over-the-counter medicines for the first time this year.

Other items that will be accepted include old car tires (limit 6 per person, tires must be off the rim), lead acid batteries, electronics such as cell phones, computer keyboards and monitors, used anti-freeze, paint, paint thinner and solvents, pesticides and herbicides and swimming pool chemicals.

“Paint is the biggie,” Palmer said. “And one lady who called me said her mother died and she had a cabinet full on prescription medicine. I said we would take it but she needed to bring the pills in their bottles and all the bottles in a box to the event.

“Another called and asked about tires. She had tires. We get a lot of calls on tires. One person asked of we will take poor chemicals. We take that, too.”

Items that will not be accepted include, explosives, ammunition, household trash, medical waste, yard waste, heating oil tanks, fuel tanks, televisions and other appliances.

Solid waste officials stress that chemicals should not be mixed together. Be prepared to leave the containers the waste is stored in.

Participants will be asked to provide proof of residency. Participants do not have to leave their cars; the unwanted items will be unloaded for them by waste collection event staff. Businesses are not permitted to use the event.

The Dow Chemical plant is on County Road 1-A. For more information call the SWMD office at 532-1231.