Monday, August 26, 2013
County To Host Household Solid Waste Collection In September
Lawrence Countians will have a convenient opportunity to safely dispose of household hazardous waste this fall.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has approved Lawrence County’s request to hold a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event on Saturday, September 21 from 8 until noon at the Lawrence County Transfer Station at 2126 Baler Drive in Lawrenceburg.
The service will be free and open to all Tennessee households. Lawrence County is one of only 19 Tennessee counties which will host household hazardous waste collection events during the fall collection cycle.
HHW is as any unwanted or spent household product that can catch fire easily (flammable), eat away at or irritate living tissue (corrosive), react violently with water or other chemicals (reactive), or is poisonous to humans and animals (toxic).
Usable household products may exhibit hazardous properties, but until they become a waste they are not appropriate for the household hazardous waste program.
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, paint thinner and automotive fluids.
Some items that will be accepted but are collected daily at the transfer station are used oil, rechargeable batteries, antifreeze, paint, and electronics. Many of these items are commodities and generate revenue for the solid waste department.
Alkaline batteries are no longer accepted at household hazardous waste events. Alkaline batteries sold after May 13, 1996 have no mercury added and may be discarded in the regular trash.
Other items not accepted at the mobile HHW collections include ammunition, explosives, radioactive waste (including smoke detectors), or medical waste.
Items from a school, commercial business or agri-business will be accepted for a fee BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. To request a price quote and schedule an appointment, please contact 615-643-3180.
The day of the event, load the unwanted materials into your trunk or the back of your truck. For safety, don’t mix materials, keep them in their original containers, double package any leaking containers, and place any breakable containers in a box, cushioned with newspaper.
When you get to the event you will be surveyed to find out what county you live in and where you learned about the event.
Tennessee's Mobile Collection Service has been in operation since 1993. Since then, there have been over 1,100 one-day collections.
Over 310,000 Tennessee families have brought in over 20 million pounds of household hazardous waste for proper disposal.
The program is funded by a $0.95 per ton surcharge on waste entering landfills.
For more information please contact Gary Wayne Hyde at 931-766-0900 and the address is 2126 Baler Drive, Lawrenceburg, TN 38464.
