Residents will have wait a little longer this year to get rid of stockpiles of paint, oil, and other hazardous goods given the annual Household Hazardous Waste Day, which usually is held in May, has been moved to September.
In a report to council Monday night, Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown noted the town has sponsored the event for the past six years, co-sponsored by surrounding district communities and co-ordinated by the Rainy River Watershed Program.
It had been held on the first or second Saturday in May.
But back in February, the Ministry of Environment approved the new Municipal Hazardous Special Waste (MHSW) program, making the town eligible to receive funding for the processing, disposal, and transportation costs of certain materials (hereafter called Phase One materials), which normally comprise 70 percent of the materials collected at these events.
However, since the MHSW program does not start until July 1, Brown said the hazardous waste event will be rescheduled to the second or third Saturday in September (if it were held in July or August, many people would be on holiday and thus less likely to participate).
The town will be required to enter into an agreement with Stewardship Ontario in order to receive the funding, which actually comes from various industries that make and sell the materials.
Brown suggested the town continue to work with all communities in Rainy River District in sponsoring and organizing the event here in Fort Frances, where a joint tender for a MHSW service provider will be called in the near future.
Designated MHSW products and packaging for Phase One include:
•paints and stains, and their containers;
•solvent such as thinners for paint, lacquer and contact cement, paint strippers and degreasers, and their containers;
•used oil filters;
•oil containers of 30 litres or less for a wide range of oil products, such as engine and marine oils, and hydraulic, power steering, and transmission fluids;
•single use, dry cell batteries such as alkaline-manganese, zinc-carbon, lithium, and button cell batteries (e.g., non-rechargeable batteries that are meant to be removed and replaced by the consumer);
•automotive antifreeze (engine coolant) and related containers;
•pressurized containers such as propane tanks and cylinders;
•fertilizers (e.g., plant food or plant nutrients containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium); and
•fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides, and their containers.
The MHSW program calls for the plan to roll-out over five years.
Phase Two of the plan soon will be under development, and will include portable fire extinguishers, fluorescent lights, rechargeable batteries, pharmaceuticals, syringes, thermostats, and other measuring devices containing mercury.
< *c>Free tipping day
In related news, local residents will be able to do some outdoor spring cleaning, and get rid of their yard and garden waste, next Saturday (May 10) as a free tipping day will be held at the Fort Frances landfill from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Last year, 247 vehicles disposed 50.13 tonnes of organic matter at the landfill.
From a revenue standpoint, $3,838 was waived as a result of the free tipping day, noted Brown.
Fort Frances Times
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