Holmes County sponsoring hazardous recycling day June 6

Not all recyclables are created equal.

That is a message Holmes County Solid Waste Supervisor Kevin Miller wants people of Holmes County to understand. For many years Holmes County has been waging a battle with public members who have used the recycling sites throughout the county as their own personal waste stations, dumping items that are not of a recyclable nature.

“People would be surprised to see all the different kinds of garbage we get in our recycling,” Miller said, “everything from old clothes to refrigerators.”

While many items aren’t suited for the recycling bin, Holmes County is offering a day for homeowners to properly rid themselves of nonrecyclable items with the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 6 at the Holmes County Fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge.

The event is open to Holmes County residents only, and a driver’s license or current utility bill will be needed to establish residency.

“This is not for businesses, agriculture or industry,” Miller said. “Basically, it is designed to help homeowners rid themselves of waste that normally can’t be properly recycled but shouldn’t simply be thrown away in the trash.”

In the past years, this event has been successful and has provided citizens with an opportunity to rid themselves of a lot of clutter and unwanted items around the house.

Acceptable items that may be discarded include oil-based paint and stain products (no latex paint), household plant and pest liquids, solids and aerosols, household cleaners, adhesives and sealants, automobile liquids, fuels, mercury, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, PCB light ballasts, fire extinguishers, propane tanks, nonfreon household appliances, electronics, and computers and monitors. Televisions will be accepted with a $2 fee per TV.

The remainder of items accepted on recycling day can be dropped off, free of charge.

Once again Millersburg Tire will accept tires this year, with a limit of four light truck or passenger car tires per visit.

“We’d like to thank Millersburg Tire for their willingness to step in and help,” Miller said. “They’ve been a real asset in doing so, and this helps a lot of people.”

Items that will not be accepted include latex paint, ammunition, medical waste, air-conditioners, nonpropane tanks and anything else not listed above.

Miller said recycling throughout the county is a useful service, but some people take advantage of the recycling sites and use them as dumping grounds for all types of nonrecyclable material including bags of trash, mattresses, vacuum cleaners, 5-gallon buckets, trash cans, toddler wading pools, sandboxes, hard plastic cat litter containers, and plastic gardening pots and planters.

“A good rule of thumb to stick by is if in doubt, just throw it out, for designated and appropriate garbage collection,” Miller said. “I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff thrown into the recycling bins that have no right being there.”

Signs are posted at recycling sites, and collection bins are marked with large decals that provide explicit and thorough details about what recyclables are acceptable for deposit.

Miller said Holmes County can work toward gaining a better understanding of exactly what should and shouldn’t be recycled.

“Recycling is a privilege and a right combined,” Miller said. “It’s our responsibility to do what’s right. My hope is to someday go to Akron, where this all is being taken, to get a better idea of everything that goes on there. It’s a learning process for me too.”

Miller said he hopes the public will take time to learn the proper etiquette of recycling, of what can and can’t be recycled, and to respect the county’s effort to provide this free service.

Holmes County Solid Waste continues efforts to eliminate the illegal dumping of prohibited items in recycling bins, urging residents to check bin labels to verify what is acceptable for recycling. Anyone with questions regarding the Holmes County Solid Waste District recycling program is encouraged to call Miller at 330-763-4848.