The Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority’s annual two-day household hazardous waste collection program collected more than 76,000 pounds of material this weekend at the authority’s headquarters on Transfer Road.
Residents from 1,251 households in 34 of the county’s 35 municipalities, as well as from six surrounding counties and as far away as Snyder County, brought waste to the collection on Friday and Saturday.
In addition to collecting household hazardous wastes like pesticides, CCRA also accepted nearly four miles of fluorescent tubes for recycling, according to a release.
“Two immature bald eagles soared above the collection for a time on Saturday as if to nod their thanks.” said Joanne Shafer, CCRA’s deputy executive director/recycling coordinator. “I think that folks are really aware of their environment and they want to protect the beauty of our county. Clean air and water are key to the economy of our area.”
The event saw 1,136 vehicles bring household hazardous waste to the transfer station.
“Many county residents were aware of their carbon footprint and combined trips and helped neighbors,” Shafer said.
CCRA co-sponsored the collection with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Agriculture. Volunteers from Penn State Environmental Health and Safety and Bellefonte Area Middle School assisted CCRA staff on site
Disposal costs of the collected 76,000 pounds will be split among the Household Hazardous Waste Fund, DEP, and CHEMSWEEP, the state’s pesticide disposal program.
The next household hazardous waste collection event will be held in the spring of 2019. Residents can find information about household hazardous waste at the CCRRA website.
