Only hazardous items welcome at household waste event

Quality, not quantity, is what state environmental officials will be looking for at the county's hazardous household waste event next month, the solid waste authority learned Thursday.

Solid Waste Coordinator Gay Ervin stressed the importance of making sure that citizens that take part in the April 24 event at Big Springs Shopping Center bring items that are hazardous, and not things that can be recycled.

If people do try to drop off recyclable items, the county could be penalized by the state and taken off the list for hazardous household waste event in the future.

Ervin said the state will accept oil-based paints, but any latex paint will have to go to the county's new paint recycling center that is to be located at Shelbyville's transfer station and will open during the week of Shelbyville's Spring Clean-up, set for April 12-16.

"If they bring all these things that need to go to our regular recycling facility, then we will be penalized," Ervin said. "The only thing that is supposed to come to the event is just hazardous material."

Ervin also told the authority that officials with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation used to consider the waste events a success by counting the number of households that brought materials, but that's not the case anymore.

"Now, it's not how many people bring something, it's the quality of the items that they bring," she explained. "It depends on the quality, not the quantity, whether the state gives us another event."

Authority member Bobby Vannatta suggested that someone with the county attend the waste event and carry away any recyclable items that someone might bring and take to the recycling center.

According to TDEC, hazardous household waste is any product that is flammable, corrosive, reacts violently with water or other chemicals, or is poisonous to humans and animals.

Typical items to get rid of at these annual events include cleaning fluids, pesticides, mercury thermometers and thermostats, swimming pool chemicals, paint thinner and automotive fluids. However, items like used oil, batteries, used antifreeze, propane cylinders, paint, fluorescent bulbs and electronics can be recycled.

Ervin also announced that the county's annual Environmental Awareness Week, which is held at the county agriculture center for third graders, is scheduled May 3-6.

In other business, chairman Venson Hawkins asked about controlling eyesores in the county, referring to a property near Wartrace on Highway 64, which he said has a chicken pen in the front yard, as well as other objectionable items.

County Mayor Eugene Ray suggested that the matter be taken up with the county's zoning office.

Stanley Smotherman told the authority that he anticipated the amount of garbage going to the Cedar Ridge Landfill in Marshall County will jump during March due to spring cleaning, noting that the amount of trash that went to the landfill in February was lower than normal due to cold and wet weather.