The North Oakland Household Hazardous Waste (NO HAZ) Consortium finished up the 2007 program with a record-breaking 976 participants at the final collection event on October 20 at the Eagle Valley Recycle and Disposal Facility in Orion Township.
The number of participants in the program for the year as a whole grew by 58-percent, while the pounds of household hazardous waste collected increased by 123-percent.
NO HAZ is a consortium of 11 Oakland County communities representing 15 local governments that offer residents a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of household hazardous waste.
In the past five years, residents from almost 9,000 households have participated in the program and over half a million pounds of hazardous materials have been collected and recycled or properly disposed of.
Items collected at the NO HAZ events include oil based paints and stains, motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, kitchen and bath cleaners and polishes, mercury and mercury thermometers, aerosols, pesticides, herbicides and computer and electronic equipment.
Latex paint is not accepted, as it can be dried to a solid and then thrown out with the trash. Kitty litter, sawdust or waste paint hardener can be added to speed up this process.
For a more comprehensive list of accepted materials, or for additional disposal information, visit the NO HAZ website at www.nohaz.com, or call the NO HAZ Hotline at (248)858-5656.
Participating communities of the program this year included all of Orion and Oakland Townships (including the Village of Lake Orion).
This is a free service for residents of member communities; however, donations are accepted.
The NO HAZ Consortium would like to thank the Eagle Valley Recycle & Disposal Facility/Waste Management, Oakland Community College Highland Lakes campus and Best Buy for their support of the program this year.