Saturday is Household Hazardous Waste Day in Chilliwack.
The event is one of the ways that City of Chilliwack is raising awareness about waste reduction, to encourage ecological sustainability and protection of the environment.
“All throughout the month of October, we’re focused on waste reduction,” said Coun. Jason Lum. “The aim is doing whatever we can to divert waste from the landfill.”
Last month saw the city-wide garage sale to help clear the clutter, and an Adopt-A-River cleanup event.
Mayor Sharon Gaetz said the hope is that events like Household Hazardous Waste Day and free scrap metal recycling will help reduce illegal dumping.
“Illegally dumped materials do sometimes contain metal household items,” Gaetz said. “Many of the Bailey Landfill customers come with both garbage and recyclables such as scrap metal, so it provides them with a convenient one-stop location to responsibly dispose of or recycle a variety of items.”
The Bailey Landfill is accepting scrap metal, free of charge for the entire month of October.
See more details at http://Chilliwack.com/environment
“It is a struggle to deal with people who are illegally dumping material in and around Chilliwack, especially in the back country,” said Lum, who is also FVRD chair.
Lum fired off a letter to B.C. Environment Minister George Heyman recently, explaining the desperate need in Chilliwack for additional resources to tackle illegal dumping.
“The environmental impacts are significant, and to keep relying on municipalities and community group volunteers to try and stem the tide of illegally dumped material is clearly not enough,” he said.
On Saturday residents can drop off their hazardous items for free in an environmentally responsible manner, from pesticides, to paint, to pool chemicals and more. Household Hazardous Waste Day is on Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 8300 Kiernan Drive, off Airport Road.
No asbestos-containing or radioactive material can be accepted at the drop-off however, nor any waste from businesses or commercial operations.
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