In October, residents of the RDCK and RDCK Municipalities safely disposed of approximately 21,660 liters of hazardous liquids at four HHW round-up events held throughout the region. An additional 9,480 liters of paint were also collected at no charge to the RDCK by Product Care. Other miscellaneous items such as fire extinguishers, mercury, lead and compressed gas cylinders were also collected at the events held in Castlegar, Creston, Nakusp and Nelson.
“The results demonstrate that the residents of the RDCK and Municipalities want to keep our communities and environment free of hazardous waste. All the events were very well attended and we are pleased with the volume of materials that were collected and safely disposed of.” said Uli Wolf, General Manager of Environmental Services.
This is the first time that the RDCK has organized collection events for residents to safely dispose of household hazardous waste at no charge. “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 John Kettle, RDCK Board Chair. 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 of.
The RDCK would like to thank all the volunteers, Product Stewardship Organizations, Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot and contractors who worked hard at the events to ensure residents were served quickly and safely.