NORWAY — Norway/Paris Solid Waste will hold their annual Household Hazardous Waste collection event from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug.
All those household chemicals that have been sitting under kitchen sinks or in basements and garages for many years can be brought to the event at the Norway/Paris Transfer Station at 39 Brown St. Residents from participating towns Norway, Paris, Buckfield/Sumner, Hartford, Otisfield, Waterford/Albany/Mason Township/Stoneham and West Paris can dispose of their household hazardous wastes at no cost for up to 10 gallons.
Barb Fortier, an Environmental Planner at AVCOG, noted, “Hazardous substances such as oil based paints, pesticides and old gasoline can cause significant environmental, health and safety problems if not properly disposed or even if left around the house.”
At this time latex paint is not accepted, but under a new law, the paint manufacturers will be setting up a program to finance the collection and recycling or disposal of paint by 2015. Until then, latex paint should be dried out and put in the regular trash. Oil-based paints, stains and varnishes are accepted at HHW collections.
Residents may also bring their hazardous waste to the Environmental Depot, the permanent facility at the Lewiston Solid Waste Facility at 424 River Road; it is open from 8 a.m. to noon the first and third Saturdays of each month, except for three-day holiday weekends, May through November.
Other one-day collections in the Western Maine area will be held in the fall. Residents of towns participating in the Environmental Depot HHW collection program can use the Depot or any collection event in their region at no cost. Participating municipalities include most of the towns in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties. Residents from other communities can bring waste to the Depot at a cost of $28.50 for up to five gallons.
For more information, visit www.avcog.org, call 783-9186 or check with your town office.
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