ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9607010031
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-10 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
Organizers of Blacksburg's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day say the event was a big success, in terms of the amount of waste collected and the money spent to do so.
The town collected 5,200 pounds of hazardous wastes from 126 households June 22. The materials included oil-based paint and paint products, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, househould cleaning items and other substances.
The materials, collected for the town by an environmental services firm, will be recycled, incinerated, or treated and put into a landfill.
Untreated hazardous materials, defined as those materials that are toxic, corrosive, flammable or reactive, often are placed into landfills and could contaminate ground water, said Steve Dingledine, waste management coordinator for the town.
Organizers also wanted to increase awareness about hazardous wastes. More collection days might be scheduled or a permanent collection facility might be constructed, Dingledine said.
"We just wanted to demonstrate that it could be done, and it should be done," he said.
The collection "was very successful because in the past there were events that would go way over budget," Dingledine said. Blacksburg's collection was budgeted at $18,000 and cost $8,000, he said.
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