The Development Authority of the North Country, in cooperation with its regional county partners and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will be sponsoring five free household hazardous waste collection days this spring and fall to help residents in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties properly and safely dispose of certain hazardous materials.
The collection days will be September 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Canton at the St. Lawrence County Human Services Building; September 24 from 8 a.m. to noon in Lowville at the Lewis County Transfer Station and; October 1 from 8 a.m. to noon in Watertown at the Jefferson County Highway Garage.
Items such as leftover solvents, pesticides, pool chemicals, oil-based paints, latex paints, and aerosol cans that still have product in them will be accepted, as well as fluorescent light tubes. Empty aerosol cans, motor oil, asbestos, tires, construction debris and explosives will not be accepted. Electronic waste (televisions, computers, etc.) will not be accepted, it can be recycled at most county transfer stations.
New this year is the acceptance of leftover latex paint. In the past only oil-based paints were accepted, but New York State has implemented a new initiative to recycle latex paint. Any unused oil-based paint will be collected and disposed of as hazardous waste, but latex paint will be collected and recycled. Empty paint cans of either type should be dried out and disposed of in the trash.
In addition, unwanted or unused prescription and over-the-counter medications from residential households only will be collected by law enforcement at the Canton and Watertown events.
The collection events are open to residential households only; waste will not be accepted from businesses, schools, farms or municipalities.
For a complete listing of what will and will not be accepted at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection days, please visit www.northcountryrecycles.org. There you can also find tips on how to dispose of items that will not be accepted at the events.
About the Development Authority
The Development Authority of the North Country is a leader in providing regional infrastructure and technical services to municipalities that strengthen communities in Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis counties. As a New York State Public Benefit Corporation chartered in 1985 and based in Watertown, NY, the Authority works with partners to meet the region’s infrastructure needs in water, wastewater, housing, telecommunications and solid waste management, owning and operating water and wastewater lines, over 2,000 miles of fiber network, and a tri-county solid waste management facility in Rodman, NY. Visit the Authority online at www.danc.org or www.northcountryrecycles.org