Putnam County will hold a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Day for Putnam County residents on Saturday, May 5. The Putnam County Department of Health and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are co-sponsoring the FREE event, scheduled from 9 am to 12 noon (rain or shine) in the Canopus Beach parking lot at Fahnestock Park, Route 301 in Kent. Pre-registration is required.
“We like to say that Putnam County is where the country begins,” said County Executive MaryEllen Odell. “We are fortunate to live in a vibrant community with beautiful, natural surroundings. That is why our household hazardous waste collection days are so important. I encourage everyone who has hazardous waste to take advantage of this opportunity and help preserve our natural environment.”
“Improper storage or disposal of hazardous waste poses a health risk to our residents and our families,” said interim Health Commissioner Michael J. Nesheiwat, MD. “We are very fortunate that our County Executive recognizes this and maintains this event in the budget each year. We have been holding this event for nearly two decades now. The number of 55-gallon drums of waste kept from our environment is now well in the thousands.”
Household cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, oil-based paint (not latex), solvents, thinners, mothballs, rodent poisons, gasoline, and kerosene can all be safely disposed of by Putnam residents, along with small propane tanks (up to 20 pound size). For a more complete list of acceptable items, click on the flyer posted under “Special Wastes” on the Green Putnam webpage at http://www.putnamcountyny.com/green-putnam/.
Call early to reserve a spot. The Putnam County Department of Health number is (845) 808-1390 ext. 43150 for questions or to pre-register.
For information regarding electronic waste disposal, call your local town. Please note that household hazardous waste items are not accepted at the town electronic waste drop-off locations.
The mission of the Putnam County Department of Health, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), is to improve and protect the health of the Putnam County community, composed of nearly 100,000 residents. Core services include community health assessment, disease surveillance and control, emergency preparedness, environmental health protection, family health promotion and health education. For more information, please visit our County website at www.putnamcountyny.com; or visit our social media sites on Facebook at www.facebook.com/putnamhealth and Twitter @PutnamHealthNY.