JAY — Household hazardous waste collections will be held Saturday at the Jay Recycling and Transfer Station. Residents in the Jay area will be able to dispose of toxic and hazardous wastes from 9 a.m. to noon on Sept. 19.

The event is part of the ongoing Western Maine Environmental Depot Collection Program run by Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments in conjunction with the municipalities in the AVCOG region and a private, qualified contractor.

Towns participating in the Jay collection include Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls. There is no cost for participation by residents of any of the towns mentioned, although operators reserve the right to limit excessive quantities.

Residents from other towns may participate by paying at the door. The cost is $27 per every 5 gallons of liquid waste or 20 pounds of dry waste or combination. Those whose towns are not listed above should check with their town office or AVCOG to determine if their town covers the disposal costs.

To date this year, collections have disposed of 6,360 gallons of hazardous petroleum products, paints, varnishes, lacquers, paint thinners, fertilizers, pesticides, old gasoline and pool chemicals. These collections are the safest and most environmentally sound method of disposing of household chemicals that have words such as “caution, warning, poison, corrosive, toxic, volatile, combustible, flammable or danger” on the label. Smoke detectors are also accepted.

The collections will not accept latex paint, ammunition or explosives. For more information, people may contact AVCOG at 783-9186 or visit www.avcog.org. Those not able to make one of these collections may also contact AVCOG.