Residents unload 1,200 tires, lots of household hazardous waste during collection today
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – There was big turnout today with the return of the household hazardous waste collection. Last year’s event was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. This year the county quickly had all 320 slots filled with at least another 100 calling for an appointment.
The top photo shows employees with Environmental Enterprises in Cincinnati collecting the household hazardous waste, where many of the fluids will be emptied into large drums to be hauled away. The is free to Orleans County residents.
This photo shows Matt Herman of the Orleans County DPW dumping tires into the pile by the DPW garage on West Academy Street in Albion. The big pile is expected to be removed next week by Modern Disposal.
The county accepted at least 1,200 tires. Residents were limited to 10 tires for the drop-off today. The county added tires to the annual household hazardous collection event in 2019 and received about 1,000 two years ago.
Tyler Jurs and other DPW workers unload a truck full of tires. The tires needed to be rimless. Only non-commercial and non-farm tires were accepted today. Jurs was joined by Paul Gray, Greg Lane and Matt Herman in unloading the tires today.
Paul Gray, a long-time DPW employee, said he is seeing far fewer tires along roadsides and other household hazardous waste since the county started the collections.
Gray said that also includes fewer computer monitors and TVs since collection points were set up by the county. Local DPW and highway crews frequently were hauling those items out of ditches and fields.
“There is much less discarded by the roads now,” Gray said.
Jim Bensley, the county’s director of planning and development, carries one of the tanks dropped off today. He said the big turnout today has county officials looking at a bigger event next year, with either more slots for residents in one or two different days.
Environmental Enterprises, the company doing the collection, is booked up for the rest of the year and isn’t available for another event in Orleans County in 2021.
Bensley said there was pent-up demand for today’s collection with many people cleaning out garages and houses during the pandemic. He also thinks the home sale transactions prompted many people to clear out basements and buildings.
Corey Winters, a planner with the county, carries propane tanks. There were 349 empty propane tanks collected in August 2019 at the last household hazard waste collection event in Orleans County.
Anitrice Bennett from the County Planning and Development Department checks in a resident for today’s household hazardous waste collection on West Academy Street.
The event allows residents to dispose of tires, propane tanks, auto/marine batteries and other hazardous household waste in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. Some of the items include oil-based paints, solvents, adhesives & resins, aerosols, motor oil & filters, pesticides, acids, fluorescent bulbs, corrosives, household batteries and antifreeze.
The county typically pays Environmental Enterprises about $18,000 to collect and remove the household hazardous waste, with the state then reimbursing the county about half of the costs.
