INNISFAIL -- Experts say disposing of hazardous materials helps keep families safe and the environment continually green.
Dozens of Innisfail and area residents came out Saturday (May 4) to dispose of hazardous material and e-waste that included different types of paints, batteries, electronics and propane tanks.
The annual Hazardous Waste Roundup has been a springtime tradition for several years.
“It’s been fairly busy today,” said Gary Leith, the town's fire chief. “The guys from the fire department were out this morning on Highway 2 dealing with accidents and then came here (to the hazardous waste roundup) straight from that.”
Despite the recent cold, snowy weather, Innisfail and area residents came out to dispose of hazardous goods and e-waste items.
Members of the Innisfail Fire Department, along with workers from Clean Harbors and summer students from the town's public works department, were on hand to accept and sort through items.
“We see different classes of materials. Primarily it’s going to be your oil and latex-based paints, but we have a lot of flammable liquids, flammable solids and a lot of toxics,” said Mark Reynolds, director of transportation compliance with Clean Harbors that helped process items on May 4. “We’re also doing e-waste for recycling.
“Clean Harbors is one of North America’s largest hazardous waste disposal and transport companies,” he said. “We have hazardous waste landfills and we also process all classes of dangerous goods and disseminate them to incinerators or to disposal facilities for proper legal disposal.”
One of the many locals taking advantage of the free service was Elspeth Jud of Innisfail.
“I think it’s a great idea. We are grateful we have something like this,” said Jud, who was using the hazardous waste roundup for the second year. “I’m glad we are getting rid of the stuff.”
Leith said this kind of event serves an important purpose.
“It’s a good way of people disposing of things that are unsafe in the home,” said Leith. “They come to these (events) once a year where we can dispose of pretty much anything that’s hazardous in the home, rather than it building up and causing them a problem later on.
“It’s great that they come out here," continued Leith. "They know it’s going to happen once a year and it’s really well attended.”
