This year’s annual household hazardous waste collection will be a little different from those held during previous years.

Instead of many transfer stations taking such materials throughout the three-county area, only three sites will do it – one each in Oxford, Franklin and Androscoggin counties.

The change, said Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments environmental specialist Carol Fuller, was prompted by requirements imposed by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. AVCOG has sponsored the program for a decade.

A memo from the DEP, which was distributed to organizations that sponsor household hazardous waste programs, expressed concerns that municipal employees at transfer stations may not be properly trained to safely handle hazardous materials.

Also of concern was the transportation of these materials from many sites to one common site in the Lewiston/Auburn area. From there, the materials are transported to another site for safe disposal.

A hazardous waste contractor will be at each of the three sites this year to oversee the drop-off of materials, said Fuller.

She questioned the need for the change.

“We’ve never heard of any problems,” she said. “But we don’t want to put the towns at risk.”

Among the many materials accepted at the sites are substances labeled as being poison, corrosive, toxic, volatile or flammable; mercury-containing products such as thermometers; pool chemicals and other chemicals; pesticides; mothballs and oil-based paint.

No pre-registration is required at the Norway and Farmington sites. Pre-registration is required at the Lewiston location and may be arranged by calling 783-9186.

Residents may brings items to the site in their area at no cost; those from outside their designated area will be charged a fee. Questions about any materials should be directed to AVCOG at the above phone number.

Participants are asked not to mix substances and to be sure all materials are in secure containers.

Fuller expects participation to be down because of the reduction in the number of sites. Those statistics will be shown to the DEP for its review.

“We felt this was the best we could do this year,” she said.

A program is now being planned that would locate a permanent household hazardous waste site in the Lewiston area, with a so-called “rover program” that would go out to regional towns.

“We’re hopeful,” she said.