Six months ago, Fillmore County held its fall Hazardous Household Waste Day at the Fillmore County Resource Recovery Center in Preston. Well, it’s now time for the spring of 2017 event. You are invited and encouraged to participate in this collection that is scheduled for May 2, the first Tuesday in May. The hours for the collection will be from noon until 5 p.m. Below is a partial listing of the hazardous waste Fillmore County will accept free of charge on that day. If you miss this party, the 2017 fall collection day is scheduled for the first Tuesday of October 2017, October 3.
The list of hazardous materials doesn’t change much from one year to the next, and I know you have seen this list at least once before, but here is some of the stuff you may have lurking about in your basement, under your sink, in the garage, or a storage shed that you really should dispose of correctly.
We are accepting partially filled aerosol cans, oven cleaners, antifreeze, lawn care products, bug killers, weed killers, all forms of rodent poison, motor oil, outdated fuel, (both gasoline and diesel), adhesives, and tar. Do not store these materials that you are not going to use or are outdated….. and may I remind you again……. please do not pour them down a gopher hole out on the back forty. They will find their way into our drinking water sooner or later.
Paint….. Yes, we want it, both oil base and latex, as well as paint thinners, wood preservatives, adhesives, epoxy, glue, stains, and varnishes. Paint cans that are empty and dried out are not hazardous and should be landfilled. If you have a can of paint that is leaking, place it in a larger pail or double bag it to keep it confined and not spilling in your trunk, truck bed, or on the floor of the building where the hazardous waste is unloaded and separated.
Rechargeable batteries and button batteries are meant to be recycled. Of the thousands and thousands of hearing aid batteries that are used each year in Fillmore County, a surprisingly small number find their way to the Resource Center to be recycled. We need to change that. Cadmium, mercury, lead, and lithium found in these batteries are not meant to be burned or buried and released into the soil, air, or water. Batteries are accepted at the Resource Recovery Center throughout the year.
As always, if you have a neighbor or two who are unable to attend this event, check with them to see if they have any items that need correct disposal. Hazardous material is classified as that for a reason.
Last fall, nearly 300 households contributed to the HHW collection. Thank you for protecting the environment by correctly disposing of all these nasty, unwanted poisons.
Fillmore County reserves the right to refuse any items not listed. Notices of this event will also be published in county newspapers.