Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling Center officials are suggesting county residents begin preparing early for the next household hazardous waste collection Oct. 24.
Ellen Keefe, executive director of the nonprofit environmental organization, said the collection will be its first at the new recycling facility that opened in May at 355 Pleasant Unity-Mutual Road, just south of Route 130 in Pleasant Unity.
“Preregistration is required and due to the amount of items collected in one day, we usually can only handle 150-170 cars. The new center has been working out very well for us, so we do not expect any problems,” Keefe said.
A fee of 85 cents per pound will be charged to all participants and there is an additional fee for mercury thermometers. Cleanways and recycling members will receive a 10 cent per pound discount on the cost of disposal.
ECS & R, a hazardous waste contractor from Crawford County, is handling registration and conducting the event, Keefe said.
“They’ve done it for us the last two or three times,” she said.
Residents may register by calling ECS & R at 866-815-0016, or visit ecsr.net. The amount due will be determined on site, depending on the weight of material to be disposed.
Keefe said payment can be made by cash, check made out to ECS&R, debit or credit card. She said participants should mention their cleanways membership status prior to checkout to receive the member discount.
“The contractor sets specific timeslots every five minutes to drop off their items at the time of registration and it’s important people stick as close to those times as possible so we can collect from as many people as we can between 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.,” she said.
Keefe suggested residents begin sorting through items in their basements, garages, garden sheds and laundry rooms and set aside those household substances commonly marked “toxic,” “hazardous” or “dispose according to local waste regulations” for disposal. All paints including latex, oil-based and alkyd paints, lacquers, mineral spirits, thinners and other solvents will be accepted.
Chemicals such as aerosol cans, automotive fluids, degreasers, drain cleaners, fertilizers, old gasoline and fuel mixes, insecticides, pesticides, pool chemicals, metal polishes, old chemistry sets and wood preservativeswill also be accepted for safe disposal.
Materials that will not be accepted include electronics, freon appliances, explosives/ammunition, bulk mercury, radioactive waste, medicines or medical waste, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers or any substance regulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
For pricing information and to register for the HHW collection, residents should contact ECS & R.
For information about other recycling and disposal opportunities in the county, residents should call the recycling center at 724-879-4020, or visit westmorelandcleanways.org.
