BETHEL — Area residents can take their unwanted poisons, pesticides and oil-based paints to the Hazardous Waste Collection on Saturday, Sept. 22.
The collection will be held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the SAD 44 Bus Barn at Main and Cross streets near the railroad tracks.
For the past decade, Bethel, Greenwood, Hanover, Newry and Woodstock have worked with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments of Auburn to hold a Household Hazardous Waste collection day, Fergus Lea, AVCOG environmental engineer, said Tuesday in a news release.
“This is the best and safest way to dispose of the potentially hazardous wastes generated by households,” he said.
Others participating in this event include residents from the River Valley area, Albany and Mason townships, Stoneham, West Paris and Waterford.
Lea said approximately 480 gallons of hazardous waste were collected at last year’s event.
“Hazardous substances, such as oil-based paints, pesticides and old gasoline, can cause significant environmental, health and safety problems if not properly disposed or even if left around the house,” Lea said. “This is one of few places in the state where residents can safely get rid of them.”
These events are part of the ongoing Western Maine Environmental Depot Collection Program run by AVCOG, municipalities in the AVCOG region and a private, qualified contractor, he said.
AVCOG operates the program with EPI, a licensed hazardous waste hauler that ships wastes to a variety of out-of-state recycling and disposal locations for proper handling.
Residents can also bring their hazardous waste to the other events in the region or to the Environmental Depot — the permanent facility at the Lewiston Solid Waste Facility at 424 River Road. It is open from 8 a.m. to noon the first and third Saturdays of each month, except for three-day holiday weekends May through November.
Residents of towns participating in the AVCOG HHW collection program are free to participate in any collection event at no cost.
Residents from other communities can bring waste to the Depot or an event at a cost of $28 per five gallons, Lea said.
For a list of participating communities and events and for more information, visit www.avcog.org (Household Hazardous Waste under Municipal Services) or call AVCOG at 783-9186.
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