Residents throughout Shiawassee County recycled their electronic waste (e-Waste) and household hazardous waste (HHW) on Saturday, May 6. The joint collection was held at the Durand City Hall and was conducted by the Shiawassee Conservation District and the Shiawassee County Health Department. The Shiawassee Conservation District collected 23,762 pounds of e-Waste and the Shiawassee County Health Department collected 11,000 pounds of HHW.
More than 152 cars, trucks and trailers delivered e-Waste and HHW at the drop off site. “We appreciate the incredible support shown to us by Shiawassee County residents,” states Shiawassee Conservation District Executive Director Melissa Higbee. “E-Waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the country and we see the need here in Shiawassee County to provide this service”. Untreated e-Waste may contain hazardous materials, which can pose serious risks to human health and the environment. Toxins contained in electronics, such as mercury and lead, can leach into drinking water, or accumulate in plants and animals. In the past 4 years, the Shiawassee Conservation District has collected a total of 162,240 pounds of e-Waste from residents across Shiawassee County, helping to protect our waters from these dangerous materials.
HHW is the discarded, unused, or leftover portion of household products containing toxic chemicals. HHW dropped off at Saturday’s collection included pesticides such as DDT, cleaners, oil-based paints, pressurized can, florescent light bulbs, and mercury. “This material was recycled or disposed of safely keeping these very toxic materials out of our environment,” stated Casey Elliott, Shiawassee County Health Department Environmental Health Manager. In total, Shiawassee County collections have brought 210,454 pounds of hazardous waste, which has been safely disposed of or recycled. Most of these items would have ended up flushed down the sewer, into a septic tank system, buried at the local landfill, or dumped in rivers and streams.
The HHW program is conducted by the Shiawassee County Health Department. The e-Waste collection is conducted by the Shiawassee Conservation District. Financial assistance for this event was awarded to both agencies from Shiawassee County’s Waste Management Corporate Donation Fund. The Shiawassee Conservation District and Shiawassee County Health Department appreciate the support from the Shiawassee County Commissioners and the community. By working together, we are all making Shiawassee County a cleaner and safer place.
For more information about HHW collections, contact the Shiawassee County Health Department at (989) 743-2390. For more information about e-Waste collections, contact the Shiawassee Conservation District at (989) 723-8263 x3.
