Ohio County Hazardous Waste Collection Event Set for Sept. 24 at The Highlands
The Ohio County Solid Waste Authority will host its annual hazardous waste collection event next month.
County residents only are invited to bring chemicals and other items to a location that will be set up outside The Highlands Recycling Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 24.
Hazardous waste can be liquids such as gasoline, turpentine, anti-freeze and pool chemicals, or items like fluorescent bulbs, explained Rebecca Friend, director of the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority.
“It’s the things you accumulate over the years that you can’t put in roadside collection,” Friend explained.
Those bringing in hazardous materials will need to show valid identification showing they are an Ohio County resident. Proof of property ownership in Ohio County also is acceptable, she said.
What won’t be accepted at the Sept. 24 event are elecronics devices.
The recycling center doesn’t accept electronics as they can be recycled at the neighboring Best Buy store, Friend explained. She said the solid waste authority wants to use its resources wisely and not duplicate what is already available.
The hazardous waste collection event coincides with the twice a month collection of used tires at the recycling center, Friend explained.
Tires are collected at the center on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, and this is a state program open to all West Virginia residents, she said. There is a limit of 10 tires accepted at one time.
“If someone can’t make those events – or if they have more than 10 tires – they should call and make an appointment,” Friend said. “Having more than 10 tires bogs down the line, but we’re happy to take them.”
The recycling center has changed haulers and is now accepting scrap metals, she continued.
Also accepted are such things as cardboard, junk mail and newspaper, as well as aluminum cans, pie pans and foil.
In addition, a wide range of plastics are accepted at the recycling center, including the following:
– Number 1 plastics: These are such things as cold drink cup, soft drink bottles, water bottles, clear hinged containers, peanut butter containers, salad dressing bottles and oven-ready cooking trays.
– Number 2 plastics: Included are milk jugs, juice bottles, cleaner bottles, trash can liners, and butter and yogurt containers.
– Number 5 plastics: Plastic plates and bowls are accepted, as are cutlery, syrup bottles and ketchup bottles.
Film plastic products, such as plastic bags, also may be brought to the recycling center. Film plastic often is recycled into composite decking.
For every 500 pounds of film plastic collected in Ohio County, the Trex company gifts a park bench to the county. The first was placed near the Doughboy statue at Wheeling Park.
Since then, 24 more benches have come to the county. These have been then given to local organzations, who decide where they are placed, according to Friend.
The recycling center is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays, and 8 a.m to noon on Saturdays.
“If you can’t make it during that time, don’t illegally dump or just leave material,” she said. “We will be happy to make arrangements.”
The Ohio County Solid Waste Authority can be reached at 304-234-3884.