Household chemical collection coming to South Park
People who have old paint, motor oil or pesticides sitting around their garage can get rid of the hazardous waste Saturday at South Park.
The Household Chemical Collection is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the South Park Wave Pool parking lot in Bethel Park.
It is hosted by the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) and is part of series of summer collections that began in April. The final collection is scheduled for Oct. 9 at Bradys Run Park in Beaver Falls.
The event is aimed at safely disposing of the toxic items rather than them being dumped in streams and backyards.
Already, PRC and its partners collected more than 180,000 pounds of household chemicals during the first five events.
PRC deputy director Sarah Alessio Shea said new safety measures are in place to try to minimize the number of interactions between staff and participants.
The group is striving to offer a nearly contactless event, Shea said.
“To streamline the process at our events, we ask participants to pack all materials in their car trunks or truck beds and then stay in their vehicles while the contractor unloads the materials,” she said.
Cost is $20 for up to 10 gallons or 50 pounds of aerosol cans, vehicle fluids, chemistry sets, gas and kerosene, household cleaners, mercury thermometers, paint, pesticides, garden chemicals or pool chemicals.
Fire extinguishers will cost $12 each to drop off. Liquid mercury can be disposed of for $15 a pound.
A certified contractor will process the materials for proper disposal. Materials may be recycled, incinerated or buried in special landfills.
According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, an average home can gather 100 pounds or more of cleaners, automotive fluids, paints, pesticides and other products containing potentially hazardous components.
Since 2003, PRC has hosted the collections in southwestern Pennsylvania and has safely disposed of nearly 5 million pounds of household chemicals.
Anyone interested in dropping off items must register in advance at prc.org/HHWregistration or by calling 412-488-7490, ext 3.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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