Bay City Tribune

Matagorda County's household hazardous waste collection will be from 7 a.m. until noon Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Matagorda County Fairgrounds.

This is the first household hazardous waste collection for Matagorda County since 2007, since last years event was canceled due to Hurricane Ike.

This is the sixteenth year that the county has held the event and plans to continue a regular yearly collection schedule.

Matagorda County Environmental Services wants to encourage all residents to take advantage of this opportunity.

"People are looking forward to it," said Ruben Gonzalez, Matagorda County Environmental Health Director. "They've been missing it."

The products used to clean homes and run vehicles and appliances can be dangerous when they are not disposed of properly.

Hazardous waste that is dumped on soil or in creeks can contaminate air and water, damaging our environment.

Clean Harbor, a hazardous waste disposal company out of Houston, has been hired to manage the treatment and disposal of the waste that is collected from Matagorda County.

According to the EPA, treatment is any process that changes the physical, chemical or biological character of a waste to make it less of an environmental threat.

Disposal is the placement of waste into or on the land. Disposal facilities are designed to permanently contain the waste and prevent the release of harmful pollutants to the environment.

Volunteers from around the area, many of whom are employees of sponsoring companies, are working hard to make sure that everything runs smoothly on Saturday.

"If it wasn't for the volunteers we couldn't get it done," said Gonzalez. "It's a team effort, and a lot of people have put a lot of effort into this."

The event is sponsored by Lyondell, OXEA, Celanese, Chevron-Phillips, Clean Harbors, STP Nuclear Operating Company, Underground Services- Markham, Williams Mid-Stream Gas & Liquids, Zachary (Phillips & Lyondell), Mundy, Whamco, Matagorda County and the City of Bay City.

Items to Bring:

Used Motor Oil

Anifreeze

Brake/ Transmission Fluid

Old Diesel/ Gasoline

Pesticides/ Herbicides? Insecticides

Pool Chemicals

Paints/ Thinners

Household Cleaners

Drain Openers

Stain Removers

Furniture Polish/ Wood Preservatives

Cooking Oil

Batteries (Auto, Rechargeable, Alkaline)

Old Appliances ( with or without Freon

Tires (NO Semi or Tractor Tires)

Products labeled "Warning/ Caution / Poison"

DO NOT Bring:

Compressed Gas Cylinders

Farm/ Business Waste

Explosives

Radioactive Material

Dioxins

e-Waste (Computers, TVs, Printers, cell phones, etc.)

Containers larger than 1 gallon