At the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority’s hazardous waste collection event on Friday, April 26, collection was halted and the event was quickly evacuated when an explosive substance was brought to the collection site.
The explosive material was identified by MXI Environmental Services, which was conducting the event. The Centre Region HazMat team deemed two bottles of diethyl ether and another containing sulfuric acid unstable. The substances were safely disposed of onsite several hours later.
“What happened Friday is exactly the reason we hold this event,” said Ted Onufrak, CCRRA executive director, in a press release. “If residents had put some of these materials out for regular trash collection, trash haulers, authority employees and even bystanders could have been seriously injured. Similarly, first responders arriving at these residences for another emergency would also be at risk.”
The event continued as scheduled on Saturday, April 27. The CCRRA reported close to 48,000 pounds of hazardous material were collected, and a total of 848 vehicles brought hazardous items to the free drop off.
CCRRA puts on an annual, free waste collection to provide Centre County residents the opportunity to safely dispose of any materials they have in their homes.
