Hazardous water collection set for Saturday

Area residents will have the opportunity to dispose of household hazardous waste during the upcoming collection and product exchange for Wharton County residents arranged by the Lower Colorado River Authority and set for this Saturday.

People will be able to drop off materials from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and pickup reusable paint and other home chemical products from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Texas Department of Transportation Maintenance Facility at 1512 FM 102 in Wharton.

The following items will be accepted in household quantities at no charge: acids; antifreeze; automobile tires (up to 24-inch rim size); batteries; cell phones and telephones; computer components; cleaning products (such as polish, oven cleaners, drain opener, stain removers); plastics; televisions (no wooden consoles); used motor oil and filters; transmission and brake fluid, household products labeled "caution," "warning," or "poison;" paint, solvents and varnish; paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastics and glass; pool chemicals; and lawn and garden chemicals, herbicides and pesticides

Items not accepted include: agricultural chemicals, dioxins, appliances, containers larger than 5 gallons, explosives, medical and pharmaceutical items, compressed gas cylinders, radioactive materials, tires with rims and industrial or commercial/business waste.

The product exchange center is a free service during the collection. Organizers ask people bring in items properly sealed and in their original containers and to not consolidate them. That will allow them to be recycled through the exchange center.

To safely transport hazardous materials to the collection location, put the containers in the trunk of a car or in the back of a truck and away from passengers.

Arranged by the LCRA, other collection sponsors include the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Colorado River Foundation, Wharton County, the cities of Wharton, East Bernard and El Campo, the Wharton Beautification Commission, Texas Cooperative Extension and TxDOT.

For more information on hazardous materials and recycling, visit the LCRA Web site at www.lcra.org/community/ hhw.html. For questions about the waste collection and product exchange center, call Jack Ranney at LCRA, 1-800-776- 5272, ext. 7651. In the event of severe weather, the collection may be postponed.