On Saturday, October 27, 2012 the Conservation Commission held its 25th annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day. This year’s event took place at Driscoll School where 454 cars turned out to participate. 373 cars were Wilton residents and the other 81 came from surrounding communities including Weston, Westport, New Canaan, Norwalk, Darien, Stamford, and Greenwich. Wilton’s portion of the cost is approximately $13,000.00. The municipalities of the out-of-town guests are billed separately for their respective portions.
This vital event gave residents the opportunity to properly remove hazardous materials from their home. Many cleaners, paints, pesticides, fertilizers and other products are corrosive, highly flammable, reactive, and poisonous. These products were collected by Care Environmental, Inc. and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.
In an effort to reduce costs and streamline the traffic flow of future collections, water-based paints and stains will not be accepted. If the label recommends soap and water cleanup, then the paint is likely a water-based paint or stain. The Conservation Commission recommends that you remove the lids from these cans and allow them to dry to a solid state before disposing of them in your household trash. You can also add cat litter to the paint can to creating a solid lump inside the can. This mix should be disposed of in your household trash.
Oil-based paints and stains will still be collected because they are manufactured with chemicals that require specialized disposal. If the label suggests you use paint thinner or mineral spirits for cleanup, then that paint is likely an oil-based product.
With the help of Wilton resident volunteers, including Wilton High School students, the entire collection ran smoothly and thousands of gallons of hazardous material were collected. The Conservation Commission would like to thank all those who participated.
Michael Conklin, Environmental Analyst
