Athens Now Archives

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Coming This Month!

By: Leigh Patterson

Spring is just around the corner and for many people this means it is time for spring cleaning. Now is a great time to clean out and gather up all of your household cleaners, household chemicals, old paint, lawn and garden chemicals, or other items that you may have been storing for years. Our collection offers you an opportunity to rid your home of potentially dangerous items and to properly dispose of them once and for all!

KALB would like to cordially invite all Limestone County residents to our 2020 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event. This event will be held on Saturday, March 28 from 8:00 a.m. to noon in the Athens Middle School north parking lot (between the school and the football stadium), located at 100 US Hwy 31 in Athens. The gates will close at noon sharp, so be sure to arrive in plenty of time. Volunteers will be on site to provide traffic direction in the parking lot and to help unload vehicles. Please note, this event is for LIMESTONE COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY.

Examples of (including but not limited to) acceptable household hazardous waste items:

  • Paint (spray paint, liquid paint) and paint related products such as mineral spirits, turpentine, furniture strippers, paint removers, stains
  • Automotive products such as transmission and brake fluid, anti-freeze, gasoline
  • Lawn and garden poisons such as weed killers, fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, rodent poisons, roach and flea powder
  • Household cleaners and chemicals such as oven and toilet cleaners, disinfectants, drain cleaners, rug shampoo, polishes, ammonia, bleach-based products, pool chemicals

Items Not Accepted: We cannot accept explosives, medical waste, biological waste, or radioactive materials.

If you have an item that you are unsure about, please contact us and we will get an answer for you.

Why This Event Is Important: There has been no appropriate way to dispose of household hazardous wastes properly in Limestone County for many years. These items, when placed in the garbage, burned, or poured down the sink or storm drains are very harmful to our environment. Collectively they pollute our ground water, our soil, and our air. Many people have admitted to disposing of these items improperly because there has been no proper way offered to them for disposal. This collection offers everyone in Limestone County a proper way to dispose of these items.

We, at KALB, are excited and grateful to be able to provide this collection event to our city and county residents. Without the support of the businesses and organizations listed below, this collection would not take place. We would like to thank the following for their partnership and support in making this much needed event happen:

  • Solid Waste Authority of Limestone County
  • Limestone County Commission and Commission Chairman Collin Daly
  • Athens City Council and Mayor Ronnie Marks
  • Huntsville-Madison County Solid Waste Disposal Authority
  • Mayor’s Youth Commission
  • Athens Lowe’s

Please feel free to contact KALB with any questions you may have. If we don’t have the answer, we can find one for you!

For information on our upcoming Trash Attack event or our Earth Day event, please visit the Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful Facebook page, email us, or give us a call.
By: Leigh Patterson
KALB Office Manager