The
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s mobile household
hazardous waste (HHW) collection service will be in Haywood County on Saturday,
March 31, 2007. “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 Commissioner Jim Fyke. “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, March 31, any Haywood County resident may bring their household
hazardous waste to the Volunteer Recycling Center in Brownsville from 9:00 a.m.
until 1:00 p.m. The local contact for this HHW collection event is Clinton Neal
at (731) 772-7975.
The
average home in Tennessee produces 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each
year. Typical items to dispose of include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury
thermometers and thermostats, swimming pool chemicals, paints and thinners and
automotive fluids. Also accepted are fluorescent bulbs and electronics such as
televisions, computer monitors, keyboards, computer mouse devices and computer
processing units. Console televisions must be dismantled.
Items
not accepted include microwave ovens, ammunition, explosives, medical waste and
any items from a school, commercial business or agri-business.
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, away from children and pets. Materials should be kept in the
original container whenever possible. If not, place it in a plastic jug with a
secure lid and label the contents.
In
2006, more than 1.7 million pounds of household hazardous waste and 324,000
pounds of electronics were collected from 24,938 households at collection
events across the state. Since 1993, households have properly disposed of more
than 15.8 million pounds of material. This material is flammable, toxic,
reactive and/or corrosive and should not be placed in with regular garbage.
For
more information on the household hazardous waste mobile collection service, please call 1-800-287-9013 or visit www.tdec.net/swm/hhw
.