RCDK household hazardous roundup nets thousands of liters of waste
By Nelson Daily Staff
The Regional District of Central Kootenay’s household hazardous waste roundup proved to be a tremendous success said Board Chair John Kettle.
The blitz netted 21,660 liters of hazardous liquids at four HHW round-up events in Nelson, Castlegar, Creston and Nakusp.
An additional 9,480 liters of paint were also collected at no charge to the RDCK by Product Care.
“The round-up events were a worthwhile endeavour as there was a huge volume of toxic materials that we diverted from the landfill, thereby protecting the environment,” said Kettle.
The events were held during the end of October.
In addition to the hazardous liquids and paints, other miscellaneous items such as fire extinguishers, mercury, lead and compressed gas cylinders were also collected.
“The results demonstrate that the residents of the RDCK and Municipalities want to keep our communities and environment free of hazardous waste,” said Uli Wolf, General Manager of Environmental Services.
“All the events were very well attended and we are pleased with the volume of materials that were collected and safely disposed.”
This is the first time that the RDCK has organized collection events for residents to safely dispose of household hazardous waste at no charge.
Many common household products are toxic and can damage the environment if tossed in the garbage or flushed down the drain.
Some materials collected at the round-up events like paint and electronics are recycled, while other hazardous materials are safely disposed.
Many volunteers, including the Product Stewardship Organizations, Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot and contractors worked the four locations to ensure residents were served quickly and safely.
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