Collection of household hazardous waste has translated to more food for Langley’s hungry.
Recently the Township and City of Langley held a two-day recycling event at the Township’s works yard in Murrayville.
Close to a thousand people attended, bringing everything from paint and pesticides to electronics and automotive fluids, bulbs to household chemicals.
And, for the first time, this annual drive also allowed for collection of tires – organizers counting 536 tires dropped off by the weekend’s end.
This year’s collection efforts translated to 45 tonnes of potentially toxic materials kept out of the landfill, said Debbie Fleming, the solid waste coordinator for the Township of Langley.
Looking at it from a number perspective, she said 32 tonnes of hazardous materials such as bleach, brake fluid, acids, herbicides, paint strippers, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, and cleaners were dropped off this year – up 8.5 tonnes from 2016.
As well, 13 tonnes of paint-related materials, including paint, thinners, and solvents, were collected – up four tonnes from last year. A further 11 mega bags and eight pallets of electronics and small appliances were collected for recycling, an increase of six mega bags and six pallets from 2016.
And over the course of the weekend, 29 people – including Township and City staff, 14 hazardous waste professionals, five product care staff, tire stewardship BC staff, and volunteers – welcomed 960 vehicles (477 on Saturday, and 483 on Sunday).
That’s 310 more participants who attended, compared to last year with the Township and City reporting a growing commitment to safely disposing of leftover products found around the house.
Organizers noted that the number of vehicles dropping off items was about the same on both days, but longer lineups were experienced on the Saturday, as more vehicles had much higher volumes of material.
“Township and City of Langley residents seem to appreciate the one-stop-drop service,” said Fleming. “We appreciate residents taking the time to bring their materials and taking care to ensure their items are recycled or disposed of in a safe and responsible manner.”
Residents who took part in the free recycling efforts were encouraged to bring a donation for the Langley Food Bank. Organizers say three shopping carts full of non-perishable food was ultimately donated.
“A lot of residents were very generous in bringing some nice donations,” Fleming said.
Didn’t get there?
For anyone who missed the recycling local event, or have items they want to dispose of year-round, residents can visit local drop-off depots for household hazardous waste items.
For more information on how and where to dispose of household hazardous waste, people can call the Recycling Council of B.C. hotline at 604-732-9253 (RECYCLE). Alternately, they can visit the Township’s website: tol.ca/hhw.
