HAVERHILL — Maybe it was the pleasant weather and maybe after several years of having the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event, the county is getting cleaner.

Saturday’s collection event that allowed people to discard their unwanted paints, pesticides and tires for free was smaller than last year’s event in terms of participation. But Lawrence Scioto Solid Waste District Director Dan Palmer said he is pleased nonetheless.

“I think it was because of the weather,” Palmer said. “It was so nice and people wanted to get out and do different things. I understand there was a lot going on. A couple of years ago it was pouring the rain and we had a long line of cars.” Saturday 222 cars passed through the collection zone at Dow Chemical on County Road 1A in Haverhill. Of the 222 cars, 113 were Lawrence Countians. Fifty-one Irontonians made the trip. Fifteen Proctorville residents and 11 South Point residents also made the trip.

Palmer said of the people who participated 182 had read about the event in local newspapers; 129 people said it was their first time participating.

Nearly 22,000 pounds of unwanted hazardous items were collected at the one-day giveback event.

That includes 26 pounds of prescription pills and 50 pounds of liquid medicines collected by the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.

“I’m extremely pleased,” Palmer said. “It kept us busy.”

The event is meant to give residents a place to discard unwanted items safely that cannot be put in regular household trash and dumped in a landfill.

Again this year, Dow Chemical, Americas Styrenics and Veolia Environmental Service partnered with the solid waste district to conduct the collection.

 

By the numbers:

• Vehicles 222

• Batteries Collected 39

• Tires Collected 986

• Aerosols, Flammable 610 lbs.

• Paint Related Materials (Thinners, etc.) 8,000 lbs.

• Oil 2,450 lbs.

• Latex Paint 24,000 lbs.

• Propane Tanks 5 lbs.

• Fire Extinguishers 19 lbs.

• Flammable Liquids 500 lbs.

• Toxic Solids 1,000 lbs.

• Toxic Liquids 1,000 lbs.

• Corrosive Liquid, Acidic 100 lbs.

• Corrosive Liquid, Basic 300 lbs.

• Non-regulated Elec. Equipment 7,500 lbs.

• Mercury Articles 1 lbs.

• Alkaline Batteries 150 lbs.

• Fluorescent Bulbs 48 lbs.

• Medicines, Solids & Liquids 26 lbs. pills & 50 lbs. liquid meds.