In the wake of two busy days of taking household hazardous waste, officials expect another two, starting on Saturday.
Household Hazardous Waste Day, cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has morphed into a four-day, single location event.
Huda Oda, engineering technologist and climate change representative for the municipality, said the new set up, with everything going through Veolia Environmental Services at their Chatham site on Prosperity Way in the Bloomfield Business Park, streamlined the process.
“Last year, we cancelled at the recommendation of our partner that runs the program, Veolia. Prior to that, we had three different sites all on one day accepting household hazardous waste,” Oda said. “But the logistics – hiring staff, maintaining physical distancing and handling the hazardous waste – was too difficult at the other sites.”
With Veolia hosting and staffing the days, Oda said the process is smoother for participants.
“Residents are able to move through the site in a safe manner. I was there on the weekend. I was amazed at how efficiently the site is run. People don’t even have to leave their vehicles.”
For folks dropping off hazardous materials, you just drive up and pop the trunk. Veolia personnel handle the rest.
Flammables, biohazardous material, pharmaceuticals, batteries that contain mercury, thanks that housed flammables, motor oil, cooking oil and motor oil filters are items accepted during the drop off days.
You can still drop off household items on two more days, this Saturday (Oct. 2) and Monday (Oct. 4), from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 141 Prosperity Way.
The event is provided by Waste Connections of Canada’s Ridge Landfill and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
