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Town to offer free hazardous waste collection at DPW Yard on Sept. 24

Date: 9/21/2011

Sept. 24, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD — There is still time to sign up to take advantage of the town’s Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Sept. 24 at the Department of Public Works (DPW) yard at 430 Westfield St.

“They will be able to make appointments all the way up to Sept. 23, “ Michael Pattavina, waste management coordinator for the town of West Springfield, told Reminder Publications.

Pattavina said residents could call the DPW yard at 263-3234 between 7:30 a.m. and noon, and 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. through Friday to schedule an appointment.

“The reason we make appointments is so that everyone doesn’t come at the same time,” Pattavina explained. “We’ve had trouble with traffic and cars lined up and down Route 20 [in the past].”

He said the DPW expects approximately 250 vehicles to visit the yard on Saturday.

Pattavina said the list of hazardous waste items that will be accepted that day ranges from pesticides and fertilizers to common garage chemicals such as gasoline and kerosene to drain and other household cleaners. Paints and strippers, pool chemicals, old mercury-based thermometers and rechargeable batteries are also among the common items that can be brought in, he said.

“We invite people to bring in things [that day] that we in fact collect all year round [such as] fluorescent light bulbs, waste oil and antifreeze, car batteries and propane tanks,” Pattavina said.

He noted West Springfield also had the ability to recycle old appliances and electronic items, as well as scrap metal, at no additional cost to residents. Those items, which are also accepted year-round, will be accepted on Hazardous Waste Day.

“We’ll take anything with a plug ... refrigerators, air conditioners, humidifiers,” Pattavina said, adding that because of the Freon used in many of these items “they are very expensive to dispose of.”

Noting that other communities often charge for or limit the days they will accept many of these hazardous waste items, Pattavina called the ongoing free disposal offered at the DPW yard “a tremendous service to residents.”

He said West Springfield is able to offer this service because “we try to find good [disposal] contacts at the least possible cost, and that allows us to pass the cost savings on to our residents and taxpayers.”

For a complete list of items that will be accepted on Sept. 24, visit www.west-springfield.ma.us/Public_Documents/WSpringfieldMA_DPW/Trash-Recycling/TrashandRecycle and click on the link for the ‘11-’12 recycling calendar.

Debbie Gardner can be reached by e-mail at debbieg@thereminder.com



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