Ocean County freeholders are encouraging residents to take advantage of Ocean County’s free household hazardous waste disposal program, which gets under way on May 1.
“This program helps our residents rid their homes of potentially dangerous materials like pesticides and herbicides, mercury and even propane tanks,” said Freeholder James F. Lacey, who serves as liaison to Ocean County’s Department of Solid Waste Management. “We run this program twice a year – once in the spring and again in the fall – and we want our residents to be aware that it’s coming around again.”
The material will be accepted at five different municipal sites throughout the county, with the first collection site at the Brick Township Public Works garage, 836 Ridge Road, May 1 from noon to 6 p.m. Registration is required; call (732) 367-0802.
Materials accepted at the household hazardous waste collection sites are: paints, thinners, boat paints, solvents, pool chemicals, pesticides and herbicides, aerosol cans, auto products, toilet and drain cleaners, silver polishes, oven cleaners, photographic chemicals, rug and upholstery cleaners, polishes and bleaches, waste oil and used gasoline.
Last year, the program allowed residents to remove a combined 382,258 pounds of these materials from attics, basements and garages for proper disposal.
And, when combined with the county’s Paint Management Program, the amount of materials collected last year exceeded 1.3 million pounds.
“Combining semi-annual programs like household hazardous waste with year-round programs like paint management provides our residents with numerous disposal options,” Lacey said. “These programs are making clean-ups and clean-outs easier.”
The Board of Chosen Freeholders is expected to award a contract to Clean Venture Inc., Elizabeth, to handle household hazardous waste collection at a price of almost 42 cents per pound, up about 4 cents per pound. The contract is scheduled for a vote at the board’s April 19 meeting.
The county also will continue to focus on removing mercury from the waste stream by offering residents a mercury thermometer exchange program during this year’s household hazardous waste collections. Almost 1,000 digital thermometers were distributed during the fall collection.
“The thermometer exchange program was established to help get mercury out of the waste stream and to raise awareness that mercury is a problem,” Lacey said.
Residents can use any of the five drop-off sites. The Brick Public Works garage is the local site. For information about the Dover and Berkeley township sites, call (732) 506-5047; for the Stafford Township site, call (609) 978-0913.