Get the toxic skeletons out of your closet, garage and basement, divert harmful chemicals from the landfill and recycle obsolete electronics at the Midshore region’s spring collection event on Saturday, April 28th. The collection will be at Queen Anne’s County Public Works, 312 Safety Drive, Centreville. The event will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine. Residents of Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties may bring their household hazardous waste (HHW) for proper disposal, and consumer electronics for recycling, to the Centreville location. A new pilot project is that usable latex paint will be accepted for recycling. There is no charge for dropping off these items for this one day only event, but residents are asked to pre-arrange extra large loads.
Household Hazardous Waste Items that will be accepted include gas, gas/oil mixes, fuels, acids, cleaners, solvents, automotive fluids (except oil & antifreeze that can be recycled at many locations), bleach, ammonia, pool chemicals, dark room chemicals, household and lawn & garden pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, painting products: oil-based paints, paint thinner, stains, turpentine, wood preservatives, wood strippers. Materials will be safely transported to hazardous materials disposal facilities. As part of a new pilot project, fluorescent tubes & lamps will also be accepted. Residents can now also recycle compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’s) for free at Lowe’s, Home Depot, IKEA and Office Depot. Another option to recycle fluorescent bulbs are mail back kits listed at www.lamprecycle.org. Usable latex paint will be recycled.
Electronics that will be accepted include computers and peripherals such as CPU’s, keyboards, laptops, monitors, mice, printers, cables, modems, speakers, scanners, external drives, etc. Other electronics that will be accepted include televisions, remotes, VCR, CD & DVD players, calculators, cell phones, radios, stereos, CB radios, fax machines, answering machines and copiers. Computers & peripherals can also be recycled at drop-off sites near Ridgely, Chestertown, Easton, Stevensville, Grasonville and Centreville as listed at the “eCycle” page at www.midshorerecycling.org. Electronics will be recycled for the valuable metals, plastics and components by CDM eCycling, a MD firm that employs adults with disabilities at Chesapeake Center & other locations to assist with disassembly. By partnering with the Upper Eastern Shore Chapter of the Military Officers Assoc. of America and Cell Phones for Soldiers, cell phones will be exchanged into calling cards for troops. Cell Phones for Soldiers (www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com) was started by two MA teenagers!
Items that will not be accepted at this site on April 5th include explosives, ammunition, medical waste, radioactive materials, picric acid, compressed gas cylinders, asbestos, smoke detectors, business, industrial or commercial farm wastes, appliances, power tools, tires, unusable latex paint or household trash. Unusable latex paint (that is no longer liquid, has been frozen, etc.) should be solidified with an absorbent such as kitty litter, dirt or mulch and disposed in the regular trash.
The event is provided by the Midshore Regional Recycling Program, a partnership between Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties. For more information and to learn about local recycling programs, visit www.midshorerecycling.org or call 410-758-6605. The collections are held each spring and fall with the next event slated for fall 2012 in Talbot County. Since the first event in September 1998, more than 243 tons of HHW and 338 tons of electronics have been collected from over 14,300 participants. The collection is part of the Midshore Region’s recognition of Earth Day.
Directions to the April 28th event at 312 Safety Drive, Centreville, MD 21617: From route 213/301 overpass, take 301 North, right onto route 304 at truck stop, immediate left onto Safety Drive, continue to stop sign and turn left. Look for the yellow signs leading the way.