Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day scheduled

TORRINGTON — Tickets are now available for area residents to participate in a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day. The event will be held at the Torrington Street Department (new location this year) at 107 Arthur Street on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Many of the products routinely used for housework, gardening, home improvement, or car maintenance contain hazardous materials that may endanger our health as well as pollute the environment. Household products are considered hazardous if they are toxic, flammable, reactive, or corrosive. Examples of such products include pesticides, herbicides, oil-based paints, degreasers, household cleaners, paint thinners, and gasoline.

Improper disposal of these hazardous household products, such as pouring them down the drain or putting them in the trash, is dangerous and may contribute to drinking water contamination and air pollution.

The Collection Day provides an opportunity to safely dispose of unwanted quantities of such products. Propane tanks from barbecue grills (20 lb tanks only) and fluorescent bulbs can also be dropped off as part of the Collection Day at no charge.

Residents from 16 area towns are eligible to participate in the collection day. These towns include Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon, Torrington, and Winchester.

There is no charge to residents to participate; however residents must pre-register and obtain an orange ticket from their town hall, or RRDD #1for Barkhamsted, New Hartford and Winchester residents, in order to drop off household hazardous waste at the Collection Day. Registration is taking place now through October 12th. The event is being sponsored by the Recycling Advisory Committee of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments and the participating towns listed above. More details on the Collection Day can be obtained in a brochure available at RRDD #1 and town halls.

For information, call Rick Lynn, NHCOG Executive Director at 860-491-9884.