KWCB holds Hazardous Waste Day
Volunteers helping residents at the drive-thru for hazardous waste.
By TAMMIE NASON KWCB
On Saturday, Oct. 22, Keep Wakulla County Beautiful along with Wakulla County, Jefferson County Solid Waste, Florida DEP, US Ecology, WastePro, Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office, and 35 volunteers held the Household Hazardous Waste Day event at the Wakulla Community Center. 146 vehicles came through which is down quite a bit from previous events.
WastePro provided dumpsters for televisions and other waste that residents brought through that was determined to not be hazardous material. The WCSO handled the prescriptions and were on hand in case traffic help was needed to keep everyone safe. Several of our county employees from the Road & Bridge staff were out assisting with this event in addition to KWCB Board members, Commissioner Quincee Messersmith, Interact students from Wakulla High, and volunteers from Rivertown Community Church(RCC).
The totals collected are not available to report at this point as we are awaiting the totals of hazardous materials collected from Jefferson County and US Ecology.
Our next event for Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Day will most likely be in April. The date will be published once we get confirmation from all the involved entities.
As a reminder, since we still get a lot of these items coming through-
• Did you know that if you pop the lid on latex paint and let it dry out, it can go right in the trash? To expedite drying time, try cat litter or shredded newspaper.
• Did you know the added hazardous component of alkaline batteries, mercury was eliminated in the 1990? Since then, waste characterization studies have shown that nearly all of the old mercury alkaline batteries have already been disposed of. Nearly all of the alkaline batteries in use in Florida today have no added hazardous components. Under state law and regulations, alkaline batteries can be disposed of in the trash.
• Did you know oil and scrap metal can be disposed of at the transfer station at no charge?
Tammie Nason is Executive Director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful.