It’s been a couple of weeks since the local solid waste district announced the fifth annual Household Hazardous Waste Event and the phones have been ringing at the office of the district, sponsor of the one-day event.

“Calls are coming in a lot earlier,” said Dan Palmer of the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District. “Word has spread in the last few years. This is your opportune time for those things accumulating in the basement and garage and you don’t know what to do with it. You can get rid of your paint cans, pool chemicals, pesticides. It’s a great thing.”

The two biggest questions Palmer has been getting is can people bring in their old computers and are television sets on the accepted list. It’s yes to the computers and hard drives with the limit of six per person but televisions will not be accepted.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. at the Dow Chemical plant at Franklin Furnace and items will be accepted until 1 p.m. Last year the district took items from 276 cars.

“That is phenomenal,” Palmer said. “We start at 9 a.m. and last year they lined up at 8 in the morning.”

Items accepted include scrap tires with a limit of six per person; lead-acid batteries, motor oil, brake fluid, used antifreeze, paint, thinners solvents, cleaners with acid or lye, pesticides, herbicides, pool chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and computers.

Items not accepted include explosives, trash, ammunition, needles or syringes, yard waste, heating oil tanks, fuel tanks and appliances.

Items should be bought in sturdy boxes; containers must be left.

The event is open only to residents of Lawrence and Scioto counties and proof of residency is required.

In conjunction with that the Lawrence County/Major Crimes Task Force will offer a countywide Prescription Drug Take Back Program at five sites including Dow Chemical.

There any expired, unwanted or unused prescription medications can be brought to one of the sites for disposal.

It is advised that any personal information be removed from the container before disposal. Intravenous solutions, injectibles and syringes will not be accepted. Any liquid product should remained sealed in its original contain

Other sites for the drug disposal will be the Ironton City Police Department, Village of Coal Grove, Walmart parking lot at South Point and the Lawrence County Fairgrounds. Hours for those sites are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.