A crew from Veolia Environmental services removes paint, motor oil and other hazardous waste from a vehicle during the April 2014 Clean Sweep event. Veolia recycles or disposes of the hazardous wastes in safe manner.
The City of Burlington Combined Public Works facility will host the annual Western Racine County Clean Sweep collection Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.
DPW Supervisor Craig Workman said Burlington is hosting the event for the fourth year, with the residents from the city and town of Burlington, Dover, Rochester, Union Grove and the Village of Waterford able to take part.
The city’s public works facility is at 6025 S. Pine Street (Highway 83, just south of the bypass highway).
“It provides residents an environmentally sound means of disposing of household wastes,” Workman said. “It’s not a service that’s handled by regular solid-waste collection.”
He said there are some out-of-pocket costs for the communities, but a good portion of the cost is covered by a Wisconsin Clean Sweep grant. Last year, more than 50 percent of the cost was covered by a grant, with the rest split between communities based on number of cars from each municipality going through.
“Not only is it a cooperative effort between neighboring communities, but it also takes advantage of a state grant,” Workman said.
Accepted items Saturday include: acetone, full aerosol cans, antifreeze, batteries, battery acid, brake fluid, car batteries, car wax, contact cement, driveway sealer, dry cleaning solvent, fertilizer, fiberglass epoxy, floor care products, fluorescent bulbs, fungicide, furniture polish, gasoline and other fuels, solvent-based glue, hair remover, insect spray, latex paint, light ballasts, lighter fluid, metal polish, mothballs, nail polish remover, oil filters, oil-based paints, oils from automobiles and other items, oven cleaner, paint thinner, paint stripper, pesticides, pool chemical, prescription medication, rat poison, rechargeable batteries, shellac and staining material, shoe polish, spot remover, solvent-based cleaners, stump remover, transmission fluid, varnish, weed killer, wood filler and wood preservative.
Also this year, the Clean Sweep will accept electronics that the DPW used to accept but no longer does. The list includes: appliances, cameras, cell phones, computers (hard drives will be erased), computer monitors, cordless phones, DVD players, fax machines, MP3 players, personal electronics, printers, smoke detectors, speakers, stereo receivers, tape players, televisions, VCR machines, video recorders and video game machines.
They will also accept “anything that can be plugged into a wall/or runs on batteries,” according to the event’s poster.
Syringes, propane containers, explosives, containers of more than five gallons, medical waste or radioactive material will not be accepted.
Those who take part are asked to separate chemicals, prescription drugs and electronics.
Participants will also have a chance to donate food, clothing and household items to Love Inc. during the event.
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