Nassau County & Keep Nassau Beautiful Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event Wrap Up

538 Nassau County residents participate in the Nassau County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event

Keep Nassau Beautiful (KNB) and Nassau County Solid Waste Department thank the residents of Nassau County for properly disposing of Household Hazardous Waste

Nassau County residents showed strong support for the rescheduled spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection (HHWC) event on Saturday August 15. In addition to collection of hazardous waste, residents also supported Barnabas Food Pantry during the event with the donation of 1,068 pounds (1/2 ton) of non-perishable food items.

Volunteers donated time to help residents during the Household Hazardous Waste event. Left to Right: Kelley McCarter, Kile Bell, Laura Schulkins, Jules Ruppel, Jean Mauldin, Andrew Powell, Zach Stowell, and Rachel Woodcock. Not pictured: Lynda Bell, Jim McCarter, and Elders Spencer Garns and Jameson Savage.

Historically an average of 350 residents participate in each Nassau County HHWC event. This year’s event was an exception. During the same 4-hour period of 8am to Noon, 538 residents participated in the event making this the largest Nassau County event on record. The event was scheduled as a contactless collection; residents were asked to stay in their vehicles and allow volunteers and staff to remove approved items from their vehicles. For the first time in event history two residency verification stations were set up so two rows of vehicles could be processed simultaneously. Volunteers and staff worked through the sweltering heat at an average speed of 45 seconds per vehicle!

Twelve Keep Nassau Beautiful (KNB) Board Members and community volunteers, and approximately fifteen temporary staff were outfitted with masks and gloves to unload resident vehicles and sort approved items for proper disposal or recycling. The 12 volunteers donated more than 60 hours of time on the day of the event.

It may be more than 30 days before full reporting on the weight and type of items collected, until then it is estimated electronics and latex paint will once again be in the top 3 items collected. Lynda Bell, Executive Director for KNB, said, “Year after year one of the most popular items for disposal during the HHWC event is latex paint. Many residents aren’t aware they can dispose of latex paint throughout the year by following a few easy steps.” The steps include the purchase of any brand of cat litter. Add the cat litter to the latex paint can. Leave the lid off and give the mixture time to dry out and solidify. Once the mixture has solidified the latex paint is not considered a hazardous waste. The can and solidified mixture may be disposed of during regular trash collection which may allow tax dollars to be used for disposal of other household hazardous waste items.

Becky Diden, Nassau County Solid Waste Recycle Coordinator, reminds residents the Nassau County Solid Waste Department Tire Amnesty Day is scheduled for September 12. Said Ms. Diden, “While Nassau County residents may dispose of up to 4 tires per household per year, Tire Amnesty Day provides an additional opportunity to properly dispose of up to 15 tires per household with no fee for disposal.” Visit the Nassau County website for more information, http://www.nassaucountyfl.com/368/Convenience-Recycling-Center.

KNB and Nassau County Solid Waste Department appreciate Nassau County residents and community volunteers, Nassau County Road Department, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, U.S. Ecology, Sensible Recycling, Barnabas Food Pantry, and Nassau County Sherriff’s Department for their participation in the collection and responsible disposal of household hazardous waste. The next Nassau County Household Hazardous Waste Collection event is already being planned. Signup for the Keep Nassau Beautiful newsletter for details, www.keepnassaubeautiful.org. 

About KNB:
Keep Nassau Beautiful, Inc. is working to inspire, educate, and equip individuals, groups, businesses and governments to take action to make Nassau County a place where residents, visitors and wildlife can thrive and experience the beauty of Nassau County.