The Erie County Department of Environment and Planning (“DEP”) has is reminding residents that there are two remaining dates in the yearly household hazardous waste collection schedule, with a collection event in the Town of Concord on September 14 and another in the City of Buffalo on October 5. These events follow collections earlier in 2019 in Clarence and at SUNY Erie campuses which have served over 1,300 county residents and have collected and disposed of significant amounts of paint, pesticides, aerosols, and flammable liquids that should not be thrown in the trash. In order to better serve residents the program now requires pre-registration in order to avoid the long wait times that participants sometimes encountered in the past. Each collection event is open to all Erie County residents and is cost-free to participants.

“These collection events have become hugely popular and provide residents with a responsible way to get rid of household wastes that should not be put in the regular garbage. Through these events we are protecting our water supply, taking potentially harmful substances out of residents’ garages and basements, and creating a cleaner Erie County,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “The expanded format has been a success so far in 2019 and we continue to look for ways to make this process as convenient and efficient as possible and help more residents rid their homes of hazardous household waste.”

Proper disposal of household hazardous waste protects homeowners as well as first responders in emergency situations, sanitation workers and the environment. Erie County has held three collection events already in 2019, leading to the proper disposal of 22,000 gallons of paint, 22,500 pounds of pesticides, 10,000 gallons of aerosols, and 2,500 gallons of flammable liquids along with 5,300 gallons of acid/base/oxidizers. Additionally, hundreds of used 1-lb. propane tanks, fire extinguishers and mercury containing devices were collected and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

Registration is currently open for the September 14 collection event in the Town of Concord.

Specific location and times will be provided at time of preregistration, which will be required on-line or by phone. For more information please go to www.erie.gov/environment  or call (716) 858-6800.

Registration for the October 5 collection event in the City of Buffalo will open on September 5.

ITEMS WHICH CAN BE BROUGHT FOR DISPOSAL INCLUDE:

•          Pesticides, Fertilizers, Pool and Household Chemicals/Cleaners

•          Oil-based paints, Spray cans     

•          Paint Thinner, Stripper and Solvents

•          Rechargeable batteries

•          Gasoline, Kerosene, Antifreeze

•          Mercury and mercury-containing devices

• ·                     Fire Extinguishers
• ·                     1 pound propane tanks (used for camping stoves)

ITEMS WHICH WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED INCLUDE:

• ·         Motor oil:  Up to 5 gallons of used oil per person per day can be recycled at no charge at any service establishment that sells at least 500 gallons per year of new oil and performs vehicle servicing. For more information click here .
• ·         Latex paint: latex paint is not hazardous waste and should not be brought to these events.   For information on how to dispose of your latex paint, click here .
• ·         Automobile tires
• ·         Computers, TVs and other electronics
• ·         Smoke Detectors
• ·         Appliances
• ·         20 lbs. propane tanks
• ·         Pharmaceuticals
• ·         Fluorescent bulbs
• ·         Commercial/industrial wastes
• ·         Lead acid batteries:  Retailers must accept, free of charge, up to two used batteries per month from any individual.  For more information click here . 

    Participants may need to verify that their waste products were generated by households.

For more information on these events, or for details on how to properly dispose of motor oil, latex paint, and other materials visit www.erie.gov/waste or call the Erie County Household Hazardous Waste 24-Hour Information line at (716) 858-6800.

Additional support for these events is provided by the Northeast Southtowns and Northwest Solid Waste Management Boards, the City of Buffalo, SUNY ERIE and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.                                                                                       

# # #