Sevier News Messenger Sevier County News and Opinion
It’s that time of year to begin spring cleaning! Keep Sevier Beautiful (KSB) is coordinating an event to encourage residents to clean out their homes and garages and to dispose of their waste properly at the Extreme Household Cleanup Event. On Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Sevierville Municipal Complex, KSB will be collecting household hazardous waste, electronics, clothing, shoes, and expired or unused prescription medications.
This is the only collection event of the year that accepts household hazardous waste and paint in Sevier County.
“We have partnered with multiple agencies to be able to provide a one drop, convenient drive thru service,” said Laura Howard, executive director of Keep Sevier Beautiful. “We’ve partnered with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to collect the household hazardous waste, The Sevierville City Police Department to collect expired, unused prescription medications and Live-It to accept clothing, shoes and other household donations for their thrift store.”
Many people don’t recognize that that they have hazardous waste setting in their homes that should not be thrown into the waste and into the compost plant. Common hazardous materials include: fuel additives, antifreeze, paints, stains, pesticides, fertilizer, pool chemicals, aerosols, compressed gases and empty helium and propane tanks. These items are not accepted at the compost plant or at the convenience centers throughout the County. This collection event is the only day of the year where Sevier County residents may dispose of any hazardous waste they may have.
The event is set to be a drive thru service. Members from TDEC will be available to unload hazardous waste and volunteers will be on hand to unload electronics, paints and medicine. It is recommended when transporting hazardous materials to the drop off site, to place all containers in sturdy cardboard boxes lined with newspaper to prevent spills and cross contamination. Whenever possible, the chemicals should be brought in the original container. If not, please place the contents in a secure jug and label the contents for the safety of the handlers who are collecting the hazardous waste.
Although the event is only for households, small businesses can set up appointments to dispose of any hazardous waste the same day. To qualify – businesses must generate less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month and have in storage less than 2,200 pounds. To request a price quote and schedule an appointment immediately following the household event, contact Clean Harbors Environmental Services at 615-643-3180 with a waste inventory.
“Keep Sevier Beautiful wants to offer an environmentally friendly option of disposing of waste and recycling options to our residents,” Howard said. “Last year the event served over 450 residents and collected over 17,000 lbs of hazardous waste, 6,000 lbs of electronics, 13,000 lbs of paint and 100 lbs of medicines!”
For more information of the event including a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable items, please visit www.keepsevierbeautiful.org or call (865) 774-6677.
