HAVERHILL –– Cars were lined up Saturday at Dow Chemical from the beginning of the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) event to the end, in what district director Dan Palmer called its most successful cleanup event yet.

“When I got here this morning at 7:15, there were already four cars lined up,” Palmer said. “And it’s been non-stop since we started at 9. We’ve not had a break.”

Residents of Lawrence and Scioto counties were able to dispose of all household waste at the event, from medications to tires to electronics.

“We have a lot of programs that the district does throughout the year, but this is our main and biggest program,” Palmer said. “We have this event every two years.”

More than 187 cars came through the HHW event in the first two hours. Palmer said two years ago, only slightly more than 200 cars came through during the entire four-hour duration.

Palmer added that Dow Chemical provides a great location for the event because of the ability for cars to move in and out quickly and its location near both counties.

“I can’t say enough about Dow. We can’t do this without these premises,” Palmer said. “And Dow has been very supportive of our district and programs.”

On hand at the event were Veolia Environmental Protection Services taking care of chemicals, such as paint and auto fluids, Dalton Tires, of Ashland, taking care of tire collection, LB Salvage taking care of electronic waste, Shred Devil taking care of sensitive document shredding and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office collecting medication.

“Just look at what you’re seeing, it’s amazing,” Scioto County commissioner Bryan Davis said. “It’s so important to get rid of all of these household chemicals so they can be recycled properly and not end up in landfills.”

Palmer said everyone in the counties benefits from the HHW event and other cleanup events the district provides, because they are all free. A

$1 a month fee on property tax for a total of $12 a year goes to the district to be able to host cleanups for free.

“We’re doing extremely well,” Palmer said.