The Roanoke Valley Resource Authority and local governments want to help you get rid of hazardous waste safely. Hundreds of people came out to the waste collection on Sunday for a late-summer cleaning at the resource authority’s transfer station. Some of the things thrown away at the event are motor oil, anti-freeze, bleach, household cleaners and more.
Trunk after trunk, Roanokers got rid of their hazardous household waste.
"Pesticides, herbicides, any type of chemical material that's still in its container,” said Dan Miles, CEO of the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority.
It’s a lot of sorting, crushing, and pouring. After two years, Cheryl Brooks is throwing away things that have collected in her house.
"Some old paint that we had, some varnishes, paint thinner, things like that. Some old household cleaners that were really strong, solvents,” said Brooks.
These waste collections happen only three times a year at the transfer station and attract hundreds of people each time, but Miles says there are plans to build a new facility so they can make collections happen year-round. It could be by next summer for people in the Roanoke Valley.
For now, they’ll have to wait until the next hazardous waste collection in the fall. Until then, Miles says you can cut down on your waste.
"Buy no more than you need to do the job. That way, you're not going to be sitting around with a lot of chemicals in your garage or under your cabinet that you're gonna have to take to one of these events to get rid of,” he said.
Just make sure whatever should end up at waste collections like these, doesn’t end up in your trash can.
Miles says a lot of people brought latex paint, but it’s actually not hazardous. Just let it dry out, and then you can toss it.
The next hazardous waste collection will be on November 2. It’s free for people living in Roanoke City, Vinton, and Roanoke and Botetourt counties. You can call the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority to sign up at 540-387-6225.
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