Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day slated for Saturday, Nov. 19
East Baton Rouge Parish residents can drop off household hazardous materials for safe disposal at the upcoming Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge.
City-Parish Recycling Director Susan Hamilton emphasized that this event is only for the collection of residential hazardous materials, and will not accept materials generated by businesses and other commercial sources, or by people who live outside East Baton Rouge Parish.
All vehicles entering the drop-off site will be stopped to verify that the occupants are East Baton Rouge residents. In addition, the items to be dropped off will also be checked to make sure they are among the household hazardous materials that are being accepted.
The following household hazardous materials will be accepted: fertilizers, pool chemicals, insecticides, pesticides, gasoline, cleaning products, latex and oil paint and paint products, automobile tires, auto products including used oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, diesel, oil and fuel filters; cooking oil; fluorescent tubes, ballasts and compact fluorescent bulbs; lead acid, nickel-cadmium and alkaline batteries; stereos and televisions. To be accepted, liquids should be in labeled, closed containers in containers that hold five gallons or less.
Items that will not be accepted include: ammunition, explosives, fireworks, non-residential waste, radioactive devices (smoke/fire/detectors), large gas cylinders such as helium, acetylene or Freon, Styrofoam peanuts, school lab waste, fire extinguishers, appliances (white goods) or furniture, copiers, construction and demolition debris, asbestos-containing building materials, biomedical hazardous material, computers, computer monitors, fax machines and computer components.
Hamilton said that although household hazardous materials comprise only 1 percent of the waste stream, they can negatively impact almost every aspect of the environment, polluting the air, water and soil.
Over the past 26 years, East Baton Rouge residents have safely disposed of more than 2.8 million pounds of household hazardous materials through local collections like the one that will be held Saturday, she said.
Hamilton said that although latex paint is not considered hazardous, it is one of the main materials brought to the collection for disposal. As an alternative she said residents can safely dispose of latex paint by mixing it with equal parts kitty litter, allowing it to dry out, and then placing the dry can in their garbage cart.
Residents should enter the drive-through drop-off site from Scenic Highway at Foss Street. Directional signs will be posted and police officers will be on hand to keep traffic moving steadily.
Sponsors and Partners: City-Parish Public Works Recycling and Environmental divisions, Baton Rouge Fire Department Hazardous Materials Division, City Police, City Constable’s Office, Emergency Medical Services, PSC Environmental Services, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, ExxonMobil ExC!TE, Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council, Habitat for Humanity, Southern Recycling, Siemens Corporation, The Recycling Foundation, Interstate Batteries of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, East Baton Rouge Parish Recreation and Parks Commission, Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, WAFB-TV, The Advocate, and WRKF-FM.
For more information, check the attached flier, contact the EBRP Recycling Office at (225) 389-5194, or consult the EBRP Recycling Office web site at www.brgov.com/recycle. The web site also has a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable household hazardous materials,