By Drew Hatzenbihler
Solid Waste Administrator
Fillmore County’s Hazardous Waste Collection event is scheduled for May 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those of you familiar with the event will notice that this time has changed from previous years. The ongoing pandemic and some changes to the operation made this change necessary. As with previous years, I’m here to provide some helpful tips to make this hazardous waste collection as quick and easy as possible for everyone.
1. Learn what materials are accepted as a part of this event and what items are not.
2. Place your hazardous items in cardboard boxes or other containers that you don’t want back.
3. Place all of your hazardous waste items in the truck of your vehicle for easy unload by our team.
4. Due to the pandemic, all participants should remain in their vehicle with a mask on at all times.
5. Our team will unload your waste, so remember to stay in your vehicle at all times.
Every year people wait in line with the following items only to be disappointed when they learn that they need to wait in a separate line and pay a fee to dispose of their items. Items that are not collected as a part of the household hazardous event:
• Collected year-round for a small charge: Oil filters, light bulbs, and ballasts.
• Collected year-round for a charge: televisions, appliances, and electronics.
• Collected year-round for free: oil, batteries, and antifreeze.
If these are the only materials you have to dispose of, you should bring them in on another day rather than a hazardous waste collection day.
If you are unable to make it to the collection but have materials you want to get rid of, check with friends and neighbors to see if they would be willing to take your materials for you. Consolidating materials into fewer vehicles helps to decrease some of the congestion we tend to see at these events and helps a friend or neighbor in the process. Before accepting or giving someone materials please make sure that those materials will be accepted and accepted without a fee.
Follow our tips to help ensure that May’s hazardous waste collection is smooth and easy for everyone. Please remember that we have changed the time to 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. this year. We are unable to accept materials outside of this time frame. Any late materials will need to be kept until the next collection in October. If you have questions or concerns about what materials are accepted please call (507) 765-4704.
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