Roseridge Waste Commission Recycling Coordinator Darren Appleby displays some materials accepted at the Household Hazardous Waste Roundup in Gibbons on Saturday, Oct. 5.
submitted by Roserdige Landfill Commission
Fall is the ideal time to properly dispose of household hazardous waste products accumulated over the year. If you have some half-empty paint cans, mystery liquids in unmarked containers and old electronics hanging around the house, Roseridge Waste Commission’s upcoming Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Roundups is for you.
The free event occurs at the Gibbons Cultural Center on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is open to everyone in the Sturgeon Region. Participants do not need a landfill permit to dispose of their household hazardous waste products or electronics.
“These events help us keep these items requiring special handling out of the landfill,” said Roseridge Executive Director Susan Berry, noting the upcoming Gibbons event is the second of two held by the Commission this year. The first was held in Morinville this past spring.
Roseridge will accept a large variety of items at the upcoming roundup, which is a partnership with the Alberta Recycling Management Authority.
“Any items that display the hazard symbols (corrosive, flammable, reactive/explosive, toxic/poison), including but not limited to pesticides/herbicides, cleaning products, and automotive products,” Berry explained.
Additionally, common, regulated items received at past events include PCB ballasts, fluorescent light tubes, flammable liquids, including old gas, paint thinners and solvents, mercury bulbs, sulfuric acid, ammonia acid, hydrochloric acid, fire extinguishers, bear spray, propane, malathion, carbon dioxide cylinders, and diesel.
However, Berry points out that items over 20 litres (5 gallons) or needles/biomedical materials are not accepted at the event due to special handling and disposal requirements.
Berry recommends that residents safely store accepted household hazardous waste on their property for one of the two regional events where it can be disposed of safely and for free.
In addition to household hazardous waste, the event will include an electronics roundup, where anything with a plug, from old hair dryers to television sets, is accepted. While that opens the door for safe disposal of various electronics products, items containing freon are excluded due to special handling requirements.
“It’s convenient, in town, and completely free,” Berry said. “Stop in and bring it, even if you have one or two items. Bring those one or two items and keep them out of the landfill.”
Roseridge is opening its new and improved facility on Monday, Oct. 21, but anticipates continuing the Household Hazardous Waste Roundups twice a year as a free event for all residents.
Roseridge Waste Commission is a regional partnership between Bon Accord, Gibbons, Legal, Morinville, Sturgeon County, and Redwater.
The story says Gibbons Cultural Center but the picture says Morinville. Which site is active for this date or are both ?
Gibbons only. Photo caption has been corrected. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.