The North Oakland Household Hazardous Waste (NO HAZ) Consortium had another record-breaking year with 4,344 residents participating in three household hazardous waste collection events; an increase of 68 % over 2007. The amount of household hazardous waste collected during these three events was 542,109 pounds, which represents an increase of 140% over 2007. For the first time, the program accepted latex paint this year.
NO HAZ is a consortium of 12 Oakland County communities representing 17 local governments that offer residents a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of household hazardous waste. Its goal is to provide residents with a regular, reliable and easily accessible collection service. Since the program began six years ago, over a million pounds of hazardous materials have been collected and recycled or properly disposed of.
Items collected at the NO HAZ events include: household paints and stains, motor oil, antifreeze, gasoline, kitchen and bath cleaners and polishes, mercury and mercury thermometers, aerosols, pesticides, herbicides and computer and electronic equipment. A more comprehensive list of accepted materials is available on the NO HAZ website at www.nohaz.com, or by calling the NO HAZ Hotline at 248-858-5656.
Participating communities of the program this year were Addison Township, Brandon Township, Commerce Township, Groveland Township, Lake Angelus, Lake Orion, Leonard, Oakland Township, Orion Township, Ortonville, Oxford, Oxford Township, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Waterford Township, White Lake Township and Wolverine Lake. This is a free service for residents of member communities; however, donations are accepted.
Many communities in southern Oakland County belong to one of two waste authorities: RRRASOC or SOCRRA. Visit their websites at www.rrrasoc.org or www.socrra.org for additional information. Residents of other communities should contact their city, village or township office for disposal options.
Information about the 2009 NO HAZ program will be available on the NO HAZ website early next year. Because the communities are charged for each vehicle that comes to a collection event, residents are asked to gather all of their household hazardous waste and only attend one collection event per year.
The NO HAZ Consortium would like to thank Oakland University, Oakland Community College Highland Lakes campus and Ashley Capital for their support of the program this year.
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