Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), in conjunction with the town of Westerly Public Works Department, will host a special collection of household hazardous waste (HHW), electronic waste (e-waste) and Styrofoam on Saturday, July 9, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Public Works Department located at 35 Larry Hirsch Lane in Westerly.
A second collection will occur at the Central Landfill located at 65 Shun Pike in Johnston from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Both collections are available free of charge to Rhode Island residents only. To help reduce time spent in line, appointments should be made in advance. Appointments are not required for Westerly’s residential electronic waste or Styrofoam collection.
Foam must be clean, dry and bagged in clear or translucent bags. Food-service foam (like coffee cups and food trays) must be bagged separately from all other foam. Additionally, only devices covered under Rhode Island’s electronic waste law will be collected at this event. Covered products are computers (monitors, computer towers, laptops and tablets) and televisions. No other electronic items will be accepted during Saturday’s special collection.
Created in 2001, the Eco-Depot program is a free service offered by Resource Recovery that provides for the proper handling, packaging, storage, transportation and disposal of household hazardous waste. Since its inception, Resource Recovery has collected approximately 10.6 million pounds of household hazardous waste and served more than 148,000 Rhode Islanders. With numerous collection dates and events held at several municipal locations throughout the state, Rhode Island’s Eco-Depot program is unlike any other household hazardous waste collection in the country. During last year’s Eco-Depot collection in Westerly, residents dropped off close to 9.6 tons of household hazardous waste.
“We’re delighted to provide Westerly (and all RI Residents) an opportunity to properly dispose of household hazardous waste, Styrofoam and electronic waste this summer,” said Joe Rotella, special waste manager for Resource Recovery. “Keeping season-specific waste out of Rhode Island households and the Central Landfill is a win-win for RIRRC.”
Many common household items are actually household hazardous waste materials that should not be collected through Rhode Island’s standard trash and recycling collection services. These materials include: fluorescent light bulbs, gasoline, oil-based paints, disinfectants, used motor oil and lawn and propane tanks. When not properly collected and disposed, these materials can cause harm to the local environment by contaminating Rhode Island’s waterways. For a full list of household hazardous waste materials, please visit ecodepotri.org.
The upcoming collections in Westerly and Johnston are two of 46 Eco-Depot collections RIRRC will provide throughout the state in 2016. To make an appointment for the collection or to view the entire 2016 Eco-Depot schedule, visit ecodepotri.org or call 401-942-1430 x241. Rhode Islanders may make an appointment for any Eco-Depot event that fits their schedule.
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