Residents can get rid of not only household chemicals but also tires at Saturday’s Pennsylvania Resources Council collection event at Washington Crown Center in Washington County.
Registration is required for the 9 a.m.-1 p.m. event, and a $20 fee is charged for every 10 gallons/50 pounds per vehicle, according to the PRC website. The fees for car or pickup truck tire disposal is $6 per tire without a rim and $14 with one. A higher fee will be charged for larger tires. There is no limit to the number or size of tires residents can dispose of, but organizers ask that anyone planning on disposing more than 12 tires or tires larger than 22 inches to email [email protected].
Household chemical items that can be disposed of at the event are aerosol cans, automotive fluids (e.g., motor oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze, kerosene, brake fluid), batteries, camp fuel/small propane bottles, chemistry sets, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL bulbs only, as PRC does not accept fluorescent tubes), electronic cigarettes, gasoline and kerosene, household cleaners (ammonia, drain openers, acid cleaners, oven cleaners), mercury thermometers, paint products (latex, oil-based, alkyd-based, arts/crafts chemicals, rust preservatives, creosote, water sealers, paint thinners, furniture strippers), pesticides and other garden chemicals (rodent killers, insecticides, weed killers, mothballs, fertilizer), photo chemicals, pool chemicals, and smoke detectors.
Residents will be charged additional fees of $12 for each fire extinguisher and $15 per pound of liquid mercury, according to the PRC website. Oversized loads will be subject to additional charges at the discretion of on-site staff.
Items to be disposed should be placed in vehicle trunks or truck beds. The items will be checked by a volunteer or staff member, then drivers will continue to a location where certified contractors will unload the materials safely. Participants do not need to leave their vehicles.
One note of caution from the PRC: “To avoid spills and damage to your vehicle, never put leaky containers into your car. If possible, transfer materials to a new container. Preserve the label and place it in a zippered plastic bag to keep with the replacement container. If you can’t transfer the material, you can isolate the leaky item by placing it in a zippered plastic bag, plastic bucket, etc.”
Ammunition, appliances, explosives, flares and medical waste will not be accepted. No leaky containers, either. A complete list of unacceptable items are on the PRC website.
Fees can be paid on the website, or residents can bring cash or check to the event.
Registrants are asked to arrive at Washington Crowne Center in Washington, Pennsylvania, five to 10 minutes ahead of the scheduled appointment. “All participants with a registered time slot are guaranteed the opportunity to turn over their materials. We will process those who are late when an open spot becomes available,” according to the PRC website.
Upcoming PRC household chemical collection events have been scheduled for Boyce Park on Aug. 16 and South Park on Sept. 6. A hard-to-recycle items collection is set for Aug. 2 at Elizabeth Forward Middle School and Aug. 23 at Boyce Park.
Since 2003, PRC has hosted Household Chemical Collection Events in southwestern Pennsylvania. The program is made possible by the support of many partners and volunteers. The events have directly resulted in the safe management of 6 million pounds of household chemicals, according to its website.
PRC strives to keep the cost of these services as affordable as possible. Fees charged to event participants cover less than 25% of the programs’ cost, the website states. The remaining costs are supported by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, county government sponsors, and through grants from charitable foundations and contributors.
Allegheny County Parks Department, Central Cambria School District, Fayette County Recycling Convenience Center, Colcom Foundation, HF Sinclair, Karns City Area School District, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania American Water, Sonneborn LLC, the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, and 90.5 WESA and 91.3 WYEP are PRC partners this year.
Washington Crown Center is located at 1500 W. Chestnut St., Washington, PA 15301. Directions are posted on the PRC website.
The PUP is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
