Pennsylvania Resources Council to collect household chemicals at PPG Paints Arena

Pennsylvania residents will have the chance to safely get rid of harmful household chemicals at a drive-thru household chemical collection event at PPG Paints Arena.

The collection will be held on Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena’s parking lot.

People can dispose of household cleaners, automotive fluids, paints, pesticides and other products that contain potentially hazardous components.

Participants must register in advance online.

The event is hosted by the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Penguins and PPG.

There will be a $20 fee to cover the cost of disposing up to 10 gallons or 50 pounds of aerosol cans, automotive fluids, chemistry sets, gasoline, kerosene, household cleaners, mercury thermometers, paint products, pesticides or garden chemicals, photo chemicals and pool chemicals.

Those with loads exceeding 10 gallons or 50 pounds will be charged additional fees at the discretion of on-site staff.

The event will be organized with covid-19 safety measures in mind.

“New safety measures including an advance registration system reduce the number of interactions occurring between event participants and staff and enable PRC to offer a nearly contactless event,” said Sarah Alessio Shea, PRC interim managing director. “To streamline the process of our events, we ask participants to wear face coverings and stay in their vehicles while the contractor unloads the materials.

“When preparing to attend a collection, participants should place all materials in their car trunks or truck beds.”

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 accumulate 100 pounds or more of cleaners, automotive fluids, paints, pesticides and other products containing potentially hazardous components. These products are safe to use with proper precautions, but problems generally arise with improper disposal.

Since launching the household chemical campaign in 2003, PRC and its partners have collected and safely disposed of more than 5 million pounds of chemicals from more than 50,000 households during over 100 drive-thru collections hosted in Western Pennsylvania.

The collection at PPG Paints Arena will mark PRC’s first household chemical collection of 2021.

Other upcoming drive-thru collections will be held — all on Saturdays — in the following locations:

• North Park on May 1

• Cambria County on May 15

• Fayette County on June 12

• Washington County on June 26

• Butler County on July 24

• Boyce Park on Aug. 14

• South Park on Sept. 11

• Beaver County on Oct. 9

More information regarding the collection event at PPG Paints Arena is available on the PRC website or at 412-488-7452.