Dispose of home toxic materials on upcoming collection dates

The Washtenaw County Home Toxics Reduction Program provides Washtenaw County residents a way to dispose of flammable, poisonous, toxic and corrosive materials FREE, but donations are welcome to help offset disposal costs. In 2015, the program held 22 Saturday collections and collected approximately 510,000 pounds of toxic materials from over 5,000 vehicles, preventing these materials from reaching the landfill and from impacting public health and the environment.

You too can dispose of toxic material from your home at one of the six remaining Saturday collections in 2016, which are scheduled for the first 3 Saturdays of October & first 3 Saturdays of November from 9 am – noon.

The Home Toxics Collection Center is located at the Western Washtenaw County Service Center, at 705 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor (just north of Exit 169 on I-94). The Center is a white shed surrounded by a green chain-link fence, on the south side of the parking lot behind the Service Center Building. Once you arrive for a Saturday collection, please follow the signs leading to the collection shed.

• The Home Toxics Collection Center is a first-come, first-serve, drive-up and drop-off service.
• For the safety of yourself and others, please wait in line inside your car until an employee is available to provide service to you.
• All cigarettes and flames must be extinguished prior to attending a collection.
• Please be aware that at times this is a high-traffic area with dangerous toxic materials. Washtenaw County takes thorough precautions to minimize accidents by ensuring a trained employee assists each customer with their hazardous wastes.

If you are unable to attend Saturday collections, weekday appointments can be scheduled by calling the 24-hour information line at: 734-222-3950 or by e-mail to: moodyd@ewashtenaw.org . If you arrive during the week for a scheduled appointment, please first come to the front desk (leave your toxics in your car) to confirm your arrival.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.