KANSAS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR
Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike Heideman, 785-296-1529
Businesses, County Household Hazardous Waste Collections Benefit from Partnership
A steady line of cars brings residents to the Lawrence/Douglas County household hazardous waste (HHW) collection, bearing such items as half gallons of paint, used motor oil, unneeded lawn fertilizer.
Looking at the growing volume of potentially dangerous items prevented from improperly landing in a landfill or dumped in a roadside ditch, it's easy to forget there's still a cost involved. Staffing the monthly collection sites with trained staff and properly diverting the HHW items out of the regular waste stream costs money.
Mollie Mangerich, Operations Supervisor for the City of Lawrence Waste Reduction and Recycling Division, puts it bluntly: Disposal costs; pollution prevention saves.
The challenge for Lawrence/Douglas County HHW was to increase participation at the collection events while keeping a tight rein on disposal costs. By partnering with local businesses, the city/county HHW program was able to do both.
"We've seen about a 45 percent increase in participation since we began partnering with businesses in '97, to about 200 cars per collection," Mangerich said.
In 1997, more than 57,000 lbs. of household hazardous waste were diverted from the Douglas County disposed waste stream. Volunteer manpower staffing the collection events saved about 365 staff hours or $4,957.
"In a budget the size of mine, that's significant," Mangerich said.
The partnerships grew out of the Lawrence Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, where community residents and business representatives formulate plans to deal specifically with this portion of the waste stream.
"Relationships were made and people felt vested in the plan," Mangerich said. "That led to its initial success." Partnering businesses select a month from April to October -- during which the collections are held -- and a household hazardous waste theme to highlight.
The businesses then provide volunteers to man the collection site for that month and distribute educational materials on the targeted subject.
The partnership was a perfect opportunity for Saundra Pichelman, purchasing agent at Farmland Industries in Lawrence. The births of her grandchildren promoted a new sense of environmental concern. She wondered if co-workers at Farmland would be receptive to something on a larger scale.
Farmland workers responded and the company sponsored a monthly collection. Come collection day, those trained to work with hazardous materials did so; others took up the less enticing but equally important jobs on the front lines of traffic direction or in thanking those who came.
"In our industry we need to be really aware of the environment, Pichelman said. "This was a way to show we are."
Last year Farmland Industries volunteers took advantage of a second partnership between the plant and Kennedy Elementary School, distributing fliers to school district residents and offering to pick up HHW items from those who couldn't transport them themselves.
Mangerich said it's especially important that industries directly involved in production of hazardous materials show their environmental conscience.
"It's in their best interest to do the neighborly thing, and it benefits us immensely," she said.
The Lawrence Wal-Mart, the first environmental Wal-Mart for considerations made in both its construction and daily operation, supports a collection with the theme of recycling oil.
A "Green Team" from the store mans the collection site, directing traffic, passing out information and thanking those who bring their household hazardous waste for proper collection, said Patty Brenton, Environmental Coordinator at the Wal-Mart store.
"We like doing projects like this to support the community," Brenton said. "We feel an obligation to give something back."
Last year Wal-Mart promoted recycling motor oil and buying re-refined motor oil. Motor oil, oil filters, tires, and antifreeze are accepted for recycling at the store.
"We were trying to both promote buy recycled, and explain to people that it is clean, it is not bad for the engine and it is easier on the planet's resources," Brenton said.
The HHW partners often lend their support to promoting upcoming collection events.
"The increased paid advertising has helped give legs to our promotional efforts and has helped us to reach some target audiences that maybe we wouldn't have been able to before," Mangerich said.
Other Lawrence businesses returning for a second year include:
• FMC -- which provides household hazardous waste pick-up service to homebound and plans to extend this year to other North Lawrence residents.
• Community Mercantile -- distributes coupons for savings on the Mercantile's inventory of non-toxic cleaners.
• Hamm Companies -- Using the theme "Household Batteries," the company provides volunteers and last year designed and purchased 25,000 "household battery bags" to be used with "Proper Disposal Guide for Household Batteries" developed and distributed by HHW staff.