It's time to gather up potentially dangerous clutter for Tarpon Springs' chemical and electronics collection day.
By TIFFANI SHERMAN
Published April 16, 2004
TARPON SPRINGS - The weather is warming up, the trees are blooming and the humidity is coming back. It's time for spring cleaning, and the city of Tarpon Springs is making it simple to get rid of unwanted stuff.
On two consecutive Saturdays beginning this week, the city is sponsoring efforts to help residents get rid of waste ranging from the potentially hazardous to the merely inconvenient.
The city's annual household chemical and electronics collection day is Saturday. A week later, on April 24, the city is arranging a special curbside pickup for bulky items such as furniture, small household items, carpet and mattresses.
The household chemical and electronics collection is a day "to encourage people to dispose of chemicals, paints and pollutants safely," said Barbara Hugg, Tarpon Springs' sanitation coordinator. People can drive up to the Boys and Girls Club at 111 W Lime St., near Classic Corvettes, and just pop the trunk.
"They don't even have to get out of their car," Hugg said. Volunteers will take the items out and give you a small trinket such as a pencil or key chain to say thanks.
From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., any person can bring things such as fertilizers, household and pool chemicals and paint to the drop-off site. You can also bring household electronic items for recycling. Licensed professionals will separate the items, put them into drums, seal them and send them to the disposal site.
Even though many of these items fit in regular trash cans, Pinellas County utilities officials say it's important to dispose of them at collections such as the one Saturday.
If chemicals and electronics mix with common trash in the garbage trucks, toxic fumes, fires or explosions can result. Improperly disposed of chemicals can leach into the soil, harming the environment.
People should "think of their children and their grandchildren," Hugg said. "We were given a beautiful environment and we want to keep it that way."
When it comes to nonhazardous items, getting everything loaded into the car and driving to the collection site can be a hassle. Tarpon Springs officials have a solution for that, too.
For one day only on April 24, residents can leave furniture, small household items, mattresses, carpet, and small appliances for curbside pickup.
Items must be at the curb by 7 a.m. Leaving your stuff for pickup on this date will save you at least $15, the minimum price for a special pickup from Waste Management in Tarpon Springs.
The city offers the chemical drop-off once each year and household item curbside pickup twice each year. In 2003, more than 400 people dropped off hazardous chemicals, an increase from the previous year.
"I think most people are conscientious and want to dispose of things properly," Hugg said.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Household chemical and electronics collection day
WHERE: Boys and Girls Club, 111 W Lime St., Tarpon Springs
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday ACCEPTED: Fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides, herbicides, household and pool chemicals, cleansers, oil and latex paints, thinners, removers, solvents, household batteries, used oil, gasoline, kerosene, florescent lamps, aerosols, VCRs, TV, cell phones, monitors.
NOT ACCEPTED: Ammunition, automotive batteries, empty paint cans, fire extinguishers, explosives, radioactive waste, biological or infections waste, smoke detectors, used tires, flares, propane tanks, or gas cylinders.
