Big turnout for Hazardous Waste Day

Published 6:00 pm Sunday, April 3, 2011

She had accumulated 20 or 30 paint cans – enough to hide thetrunk of her vehicle – while painting the interior of her newlybuilt house. Some of the cans are just about bone dry after beingused during the project and some are almost full.

She’s been living in her new home in Ruth for about sevenyears.

“I’ve been trying to get my husband to take care of it and hekept putting it off and putting it off,” said Tanya Greer. “I said,’I’m going to take care of it this morning.'”

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Greer was not alone Saturday as Lincoln County residents broughtunwanted dangerous chemicals by truck, van and trailer loads to theHousehold Hazardous Waste Collection Day at the city dump. Theevent was sponsored by Keep Lincoln County Beautiful.

“We’ve had a nice steady flow,” said Homer Richardson, KeepLincoln County Beautiful member and event organizer. “Even thoughwe started at 8, they were ready to go at 7:30 this morning.”

Residents of Lincoln County took full advantage of the eventthat hasn’t happened in roughly a decade due the availability ofgrants. Drivers pulled up and gave a friendly smile and nod,indicating they knew the drill after having made the trip a time ortwo already earlier that morning.

The crew worked hard and fast to make sure those willing toproperly dispose of unwanted waste did not sit in the sun for toolong. As of 11 a.m. the workers had seen more than 200 cars,collected more than 175 gallons of oil and piled a mountain ofpaint cans with still an hour left in the function.

“Today’s been a tremendous turnout for the size of the town,”said Kati Kelley, operations manager for Complete Environmental outof Purvis.

Volunteers, organization members and hired help sifted throughbags, crates and truck beds containing tires, electric materials,batteries, paint, aerosols, poisons, propane tanks, oil andgardening products. Like picking the mystery door, some helpersthought riffling through the garbage was part of the fun, whileothers enjoyed playing their part in keeping Mississippi clean.

“Anything we can take here to keep it from being thrown on theside of the road, down in a ditch or in a creek somewhere willreally help clean up the county,” said Richardson.

Members of Complete Environmental were on hand to help organizethe various items into similar groups. After the event is over andthe sorting has stopped most of the items will be hauled offthousands of miles away to Virginia to be properly disposed of.

“Cleaning up Mississippi and dirtying Virginia,” joked MikeBalthazar, who was helping sort the waste on behalf of CompleteEnvironmental.

Kelley said some of the waste would be recycled and turned intoother items, such as low-grade kilns, while other hazardousmaterials would be incinerated.

The waste collection day began Lincoln County’s involvement inthe Great American Cleanup and as a precursor to Dumpster Days,which is the time when large bins are put in several places aroundLincoln County to collect large unwanted items.

“By doing (the hazardous waste) collection first, it eliminatesit going into the regular trash dumpsters,” said Richardson.

The first bins will go out in District One on April 7 at anabandoned gas station on Monticello Street, just east of CountyFarm Road. The bins will then move on April 14 in District Two atthe intersection of Howard and Brignall roads.

District Three will get the bins on April 21 in Bogue Chitto atthe intersection of Highway 51 and Brister Street, and DistrictFour will follow on April 28 at the intersection of Jackson-LibertyRoad and West Lincoln Drive.

The final cleanup location will open on May 5 in District Fiveat James Case’s store on California Road.

In the past, Richardson said he has seen such items as pianos,boats and washing machines.

“We get some strange stuff out there,” he said.