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Record number of nasties handed in at household chemical collection

Forty-four kilograms of organochlorine pesticides such as DDT and Dieldrin, and 4.5 kilograms of arsenic were among the 6.2 tonnes of chemical nasties handed in at Saturday’s household chemical collection.

By Latrobe City Council - 7th May 2001 - Back to News

Forty-four kilograms of organochlorine pesticides such as DDT and Dieldrin, which have been banned for years, and 4.5 kilograms of arsenic were among the 6.2 tonnes of chemical nasties handed in at Saturday’s household chemical collection in Latrobe City.

Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Brendan Jenkins, said the collection had been an amazing success, with the number of householders contributing to the collection more than double that of previous collections, and the actual volume of nasties collected extremely high for a rural community.

"We are extremely happy that more than 6.2 tonnes of unused and unwanted chemicals from Latrobe’s homes, gardens, worksheds and garages are now in safe hands where they can be recycled or safely destroyed," Cr Jenkins said.

"It is a credit to the citizens of Latrobe that they took upon themselves the responsibility of identifying numerous hazardous substances around their homes, that could affect the health of humans, animals and the environment, and took them to the collection depot for safe disposal."

Latrobe City’s Waste Management Manager, Mike McCaughan, said the opportunity to safely get rid of unwanted chemical products had been well publicised in the municipality, and public response to the collection had been overwhelming.

"These are items that should never find their way to tips or waste transfer stations, and never placed in the normal rubbish collection. These are hazardous substances that can affect people’s health and wellbeing if not disposed of appropriately," Mr McCaughan said.

"Some of the products are recycled through processing. With tins of paint for example, the tins are crushed and recycled, and the paint itself is turned into fuel oil products. Some items that can’t be recycled are treated with other chemicals to make them inert so they don’t pose a threat to the environment any more," Mr McCaughan explained.

"More than 2 tonnes of paint products were handed in, and more than a tonne of oil. There were also significant quantities of car batteries (202kg), hydrocarbon solvents such as degreasers (108.5kg), poisons such as brake fluid and mouse bait (119.5kg), pesticides and herbicides (203kg), gas cylinders (162 kg), photographic chemicals (80kg), and oxydising agents such as pool chlorine (22.5kg).

"There was an amazing 27 kilograms of pharmaceuticals. When you consider how little a few tablets might weigh, that is a considerable amount. Some of the yellow halon extinguishers which are now banned came to light among the 26.5kg of fire extinguishers handed in, and there were 3 kilograms of bullets and flares," Mr McCaughan added.

"The quantity of hazardous chemicals retrieved is probably only the tip of the iceberg as far as the quantity of unused and unwanted substances still lurking on dusty shelves in garden sheds and tucked away in cupboards under sinks. These household collections take place from time to time however, so if householders come across any unwanted chemical products during the year, we urge them to ensure they are clearly labelled and stored safely until the next household chemical collection, so they can then be disposed of safely," Mr McCaughan concluded.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: latrobecity@gippslander.com