North Oakland County’s NoHaz communities will likely top 5 million pounds of household hazardous waste amassed and properly disposed of since 2003 after completing their first collection date in April 2017.
The NoHaz program has collected more than 4.9 million pounds of items commonly found around the house such as latex and oil-based paints, motor oil, pesticides and outdated computer and electronic equipment since the program began in 2003, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. Each of the five collection events in 2016 brought in at least 100,000 pounds of materials, making it likely the program will surpass the 5 million pound milestone after the next collection is held. Collection dates and locations are being finalized and will be announced in early 2017.
“Oakland County residents are keenly aware of their responsibility to dispose of household hazardous waste properly,” Patterson said. “They have embraced the NoHaz program, with the 17-member communities disposing of more than 633,000 pounds of material in 2016 alone. I applaud them for their commitment to being environmentally conscious, which improves the quality of life for everyone.”
In 2013, collections from 12 NoHaz communities attracted 3,158 participants who dropped off about 364,000 pounds of materials. In 2015, the number of communities increased to 14 as did the participants, 3,792; and the pounds of materials dropped off to about 523,000 pounds. In 2016, 4,667 participants dropped off more than 633,000 pounds of household hazardous waste.
Patterson also announced the 2017 NoHaz Poster Contest for students in grades four and five whose schools are located in a NoHaz-member community. The theme of this year’s contest is “NoHaz to the Rescue.” The top three finalists receive gift cards for themselves and their classroom and their artwork will be used to promote the NoHaz program. The deadline for submission is Feb. 10, 2017. The winners will be announced in April.
NoHaz is a consortium of north Oakland County communities committed to providing their residents with a safe, reliable and environmentally responsible way to dispose of hazardous household waste.
Communities participating in 2016 were: Addison Township, Clarkston, Groveland Township, Independence Township, Lake Angelus, Lake Orion, Leonard, Oakland Township, Orion Township, Oxford Township, Oxford, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Rose Township, Springfield Township and Waterford Township.
Residents of the consortium communities may dispose of their hazardous household waste for a nominal fee of $15, $10 or at no charge, depending on the community. Residents of non-member communities pay $50. Check www.nohaz.com for a detailed list of fees by community.
Dozens of different household waste products are accepted including: household paints, stains, driveway sealer, asphalt roofing tar, computers, televisions, laptops, DVD/VCR players, cables, accessories, game systems, electronic games, motor oil, gasoline, antifreeze, batteries, pesticides, fungicides, pool chemicals, muriatic acid, aerosols, batteries, cleaners, polishes, needles, syringes, inhalers, EpiPens, medication (excluding controlled substances), propane cylinders, fluorescent lamps and mercury. A complete list of accepted materials can be found at www.nohaz.com
Collection events are coordinated and administered by the Planning Division of the Department of Economic Development & Community Affairs. The Planning Division makes arrangements for the safe and responsible disposal of the materials received, said Whitney Calio, who coordinates the program.
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