If paint cans, florescent light bulbs, old computers, and other types of hazardous waste are taking over your garage, help is on the way.
Beginning Tuesday, Nov. 27, the county’s new Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at 6305 Haley Road near Shelby Farms will be open every Tuesday and Saturday.
“Now every resident can do something to help the environment,” said Mayor AC Wharton during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site Tuesday morning.
Hazardous waste, ranging from aerosol spray cans and pool chemicals to herbicides and motor oil, can be dropped off at the site. Employees of the facility will sort the materials into one of three rooms — the flammable room, the nonflammable room, and the corrosive room.
“We have a sprinkler system in place and two-hour firewalls installed in case something happens. Those walls will contain a fire in one room for two hours, which is ample time for the fire department to arrive” said Jodie Nelson, the facility operator.
The center will also accept old computers (like E-Cycle, but for real this time), ink cartridges, typewriters, and cell phones.
The center was funded by a $500,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. It was modeled after similar sites in Nashville and Knoxville.
— Bianca Phillips