By Drew Hatzenbihler
Solid Waste Administrator
As the weather has gotten nicer this spring, we have noticed an increased number of people dropping off materials from their spring cleaning efforts. As you are cleaning out your homes, basements and garages this year, start planning ahead and boxing up your hazardous materials to drop off on May 7 for Fillmore County’s Hazardous Waste Collection. The collection starts at noon and runs until 5 p.m. (No early or late drop offs will be accepted).
We had a great turnout last year for Hazardous Waste Collection Day and hope to continue that trend this year and get more hazardous materials safely disposed of. That being said, we did notice that there was some confusion about materials that we accept during this event. Hopefully this article can clear up some of the confusion from last fall.
The main confusion we had last year was centered on light bulbs. This is a material that is NOT COLLECTED FOR FREE during our hazardous waste collection event. However, and here is the confusing part, you can dispose of your used light bulbs at our facility for a small charge. Light bulbs are one material that we collect year round for a charge. These materials should be separated from the hazardous materials you are disposing of during our collection event. Also, keep in mind that if you want to get rid of light bulbs during the hazardous waste collection event, there will STILL BE A CHARGE and you will likely end up waiting in more than one line. My recommendation is to drop off your light bulbs at your convenience a different day to avoid waiting in some of the longest lines we see all year.
Now that we have cleared up the confusion about light bulbs, let’s talk about some of the other hazardous materials that we collect year round. The two biggest of these materials is used oil and antifreeze. These materials are collected free of charge during normal business hours year round at the Resource Recovery Center in Preston. To be clear, these materials must be brought directly to the facility during our normal operating hours Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and the first non-holiday Saturday of the month from 8 a.m. until noon. These materials pose the risk of environmental harm and CANNOT be left at recycling sites. Abandoning these materials anywhere other than their designated disposal locations is considered illegal dumping, is a misdemeanor offence and carries minimum fine of $500. They must be emptied into designated containers at the Resource Recovery Center ONLY. Stop in the main office for instructions if you have not dropped off these materials in the past.
If you only have oil, antifreeze or light bulbs the best time to dispose of those materials is any day other than our hazardous waste collection event. I say this for your convenience because bringing these materials to dispose of during the collection event may result in waiting in multiple lines and the frustration that goes along with it.
The only other point of confusion I will touch on today is who is allowed to drop off materials at our Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event. If you are a resident of Fillmore County you can drop off materials generated by your household (or your neighbor’s household) free of charge during this collection event. If, however, the materials you are looking to get rid of were generated as part of a business operation, these materials CANNOT be disposed of during this event. The easiest way to think of it is if the materials you are trying to get rid of were used in any part of making you money they CANNOT be disposed of during this event. This includes fuels and oils generated during farming operations, materials generated for a small home-based business or materials generated at your place of work. Disposal of business-generated hazardous materials and the associated costs are the responsibility of the individual business.
As always, if you have any questions about the collection event, what materials are accepted or how to properly dispose of your items please give us a call at (507) 765-4704. Please check your papers from the last couple weeks for a list of materials accepted at this event. We will see you May 7!
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