Thursday, April 12, 2012

Household Hazardous Waste Collection for Worth County

The Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments announces a Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Waste Collection to be held Saturday, April 21, 2012 in Nodaway County. The collections are open to residents of Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth Counties only. The event will be held from 8 a.m. until noon at the Nodaway County Maintenance Barn located at 1516 E. Halsey, Maryville, MO 64468.

A variety of acceptable wastes will be collected at the event. Examples of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) are: fertilizers, pesticides, household chemicals (bleach, ammonia, and cleaners), batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, mercury, antifreeze, paint, and varnish. The following items are disallowed: motor oil, syringes, prescription medicines, compressed gas cylinders, smoke detectors, commercial waste, radioactive waste, explosive waste and unknown wastes.

DO NOT MIX HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE TOGETHER; KEEP IN ORGINAL PACKAGING.

Examples of Electronic Waste (E-waste) to be collected are: computer monitors, computer hard drives, computer accessories, fax machines, televisions, microwaves, and cell phones. For a complete listing of acceptable wastes please visit www.nwmorcog.org. On the website there will also be proper disposal techniques described to dispose of the unacceptable wastes.

Minimal fees will apply for proper disposal of waste to help offset the high costs of recycling and proper disposal.

  1. Each participant must pay $5 to dispose of HHW.
  2. There is a $10.00 fee/per unit for each TV. Computer monitors, microwave ovens and all other acceptable electronic waste is free of charge.

Collection is open to residents of Atchison, Gentry, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth Counties. Photo identification is required. Businesses are not eligible for the program and are subject to the rules established by the Missouri Statues regarding HHW/E-Waste Disposal.

Hazardous products are used for cleaning, painting, beautifying, lubricating and disinfecting the house, yard, workshop and garage. The average American home accumulates more than 100 pounds of hazardous products by storing it in their basements, closets and garage. The health of our community and the environment is endangered when these types of products are discarded in storm drains, household garbage, or sinks. In 2007, the amount of electronic waste discarded such as TVs, computers, peripherals (including printers, scanners, and faxes), mice, keyboards and cell phones totaled about 2.5 million tons. The quantity of electronic waste that we are generating is steadily increasing. Lead, mercury, cadmium and brominated flame retardants are among the substances of concern in electronics. These substances are included in the products for important performance characteristics, but can cause problems if the products are not properly managed at end of life.

Linda Laderoute, Environmental Planner for the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, emphasizes that “Special collections are vital for our region because there is no permanent facility that handles disposal of household chemicals and electronics in Northwest Missouri. The closest facility for residents to properly dispose of household hazardous waste is in the Kansas City Metro area. A typical home contains many types of hazardous household products and discarded electronic items that we can accept during the one-day event in Maryville. So protect your environment, save some time and money by bringing your HHW and E-Waste to the Maryville collection site. Professionals will package the items for proper disposal or recycling.”

The collection is sponsored by County Commissions and Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments and is funded by a grant through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Northwest Missouri Regional Solid Waste Management District. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Linda Laderoute with the Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments, (660) 582-5121 or linda@nwmorcog.org.

No comments: