AUSTIN — Communities interested in holding household hazardous waste collection or recycling events now can get help by using a newly outfitted trailer filled with equipment and supplies needed for these environmentally friendly efforts.
The trailer is part of the Central Texas Household Hazardous Waste program funded partially by the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) and managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The trailer is available by reservation with LCRA. Communities can reserve the trailer for one day or longer by putting down a deposit to cover the cost of supplies. Deposit money not used will be refunded. LCRA provides technical assistance for free. Communities pay for disposal of hazardous materials and recycling.
The program is designed to help communities in the 10-county CAPCOG region get started with events to collect and recycle materials or to help expand existing programs. The CAPCOG region covers Llano, Burnet, Blanco, Hays, Williamson, Lee, Travis, Bastrop, Caldwell and Fayette counties.
Recycling and household hazardous waste collection events are growing in popularity as the population grows in rural counties and the importance of responsible use and reuse of materials is more widely known and accepted. LCRA sponsors such events in cooperation with local communities in its statutory counties along the Colorado River. By making the hazardous waste equipment and trailer available, LCRA and CAPCOG expand their environmental stewardship efforts in the region.
The trailer includes paint mixers for latex paint recycling, personal protective equipment for volunteers (eyewear, gloves, aprons, body suits, etc.), tools, event signage, barrels for oil and paint collection, work tables, traffic cones, wooden pallets, and more.
A recycling event could collect batteries, oil, oil filters, paint, antifreeze and electronic equipment. A chemical waste collection event could accept household hazardous chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, paint thinners, oven and drain cleaners, floor and furniture polishes, upholstery cleaners and brake and transmission fluids.
The program is also working with Habitat for Humanity to use the reprocessed latex paint for its Re-Store and building projects.
“Demand for household hazardous waste and recycling collections, programs and services has grown beyond what LCRA can currently serve with its one-day collection events,” said Jack Ranney, program coordinator of LCRA’s household hazardous waste program. “This new program and the equipped trailer will help enable a community to collect lead-acid batteries and non-hazardous recyclables, which comprise up to 75 percent of what is typically accepted at household hazardous waste collections. This program will give communities an affordable option to have more frequent collections for the most commonly generated household waste materials.”
Communities seeking to use the equipment and supply trailer need to make reservations 90 days in advance. For more information about the program or to reserve the trailer, call Ranney at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 7651, or e-mail him at jack.ranney@lcra.org.
