E-waste and hazardous materials disposal day planned

By Randy Bell

Clintonians eager to get rid of hazardous materials might want to circle October 24 on their calendar. That’s when the City, in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), will give citizens an opportunity to drop off their dangerous stuff. But leave your dynamite at home. Explosives will not be accepted.

“If you’ve got a bomb sitting around the house, we’ve got bigger problems than household hazardous waste disposal,” says Clinton’s Director of Public Works Phillip Lilley. “That’s a conversation for somebody other than Public Works.”

The City will also turn away radioactive materials and equipment containing freon. But it will take pesticides, chemicals, paint, motor oil, antifreeze, propane tanks and batteries.

“One thing I would like residents to understand is that this program is intended for household hazardous waste, not large quantities of chemicals generated by commercial businesses,” Lilley says. “We bring in a third-party contractor to properly handle and dispose of these materials, and that comes at a cost.”

MDEQ provides a $25,000 grant to help underwrite the expense.

According to Lilley, “Once we exceed that amount, the City has to cover the remaining cost out of our own budget. That can affect funding available for other Public Works operations and services, including limb disposal. We certainly want our residents to take advantage of the program, but we also ask that everyone be mindful of what it’s intended for.”

Last year, the City collected approximately 305 gallons of used oil, 2,500 gallons of paint and over 7,500 pounds of other hazardous household waste.

“That’s a considerable amount of material that was properly disposed of instead of potentially ending up in our regular garbage or drainage systems,” Lilley says.

In addition to the hazardous materials, electronic waste can also be dropped off. This includes televisions, computer monitors and printers.

The E-waste and hazardous materials disposal day on October 24 will run from 8 a.m. until noon at the Public Works Facility at 525 Springridge Road. It comes on the heels of the annual Citywide Fall Cleanup, which was held from October 10 to 17, to collect yard waste, bulky items and other household debris at the old Northside Elementary site on Old Vicksburg Road.