Ever wonder how you can get rid of those hazardous materials you have lying around your house? Well, the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA) will be hosting a toxics drop off day this Saturday at the Ley Creek drop off site in North Syracuse from 8 am through 2 pm. OCCRA is asking residents to register ahead of time, at http://www.ocrra.org or by calling 453-2866.
Kristen Lawton, Public Information Officer for OCRRA spoke with me Wednesday about the upcoming event. “Well, it’s a great opportunity for residents to take an inventory of the toxic materials they might have hanging around their house, we call them household hazardous waste. We’re looking at automotive products, insecticides, gardening materials, things like that, that we really want to make sure stay out of the environment.”
Many home owners in Central NY have leftover paint of some sort sitting around. As Ann Fordock, Recycling Specialist with OCRRA explains, not all paint is considered hazardous material any longer. “Water-based paint is usually your latex. So, latex paint is not hazardous anymore, we do not accept it at our events.” However, oil-based paints are accepted at the events. As for the water-based, latex paints, you can dry them out with cat litter (or some other drying agent) leaving the lid open, then tossing them in your normal garbage.
Both Ann and Kristen told me they really want people to think about recycling before they even purchase a hazardous material. Questions should be asked before point of purchase, such as: Do I really need this much? Can I donate this to a neighbor or other charitable cause?
Along the lines of charity, this isn’t just a toxic drop off event this weekend. Kristen says “we’re gonna take your icky stuff, but we’re also asking you to bring in children’s winter coats, hats, and mittens, which will be donated to the Syracuse City School District.”
Getting rid of toxic materials, and helping out a worthy cause.
