Household Hazardous Waste Collection Held

The Northwest Missouri Regional Council of Governments in partnership with Holt and Nodaway counties sponsored two Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collections in April.  The collections were funded by a grant from the Northwest Missouri Solid Waste Management District.  The Holt County collection, held in Oregon, on April 2, 2016, had nine participants from seven different communities.  The second collection held on April 9, 2016, in Maryville, had a total of 73 participants including 17 from a satellite collection held in Albany and brought to Maryville for disposal.  All residents of Atchison, Holt, Gentry, Nodaway and Worth Counties were invited to participate. Total tonnage is not yet available from Clean Harbors, the HHW disposal vendor.  The collections were free this year and the participation from 2015 was doubled to a total of 82 residents. 

The Regional Council and the Solid Waste District are working on a plan to restructure the way HHW recycling is handled in the region.  Annual collection events have become very costly due to increases in disposal fees and lower participation rates.  A  Solid Waste grant application has been submitted, although not yet approved, to set up a pilot program at the Nodaway County Maintenance Barn for a permanent HHW collection and storage site.  If this plan receives funding and is implemented, the residents of the Northwest Missouri Solid Waste Management District, Region A, will have a local site for HHW drop-off available for the first time. Details of the operation schedule will be released once the site is completed.