Hoover to add 2nd Household Hazardous Waste Day
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Due to high demand, the city of Hoover plans to hold two Household Hazardous Waste Days in 2020, and the location is changing for at least the first one.
The first is scheduled for May 2 and will be held in the parking lot at Hoover High School, said Robin Mangino, the administrative services supervisor for the Hoover Public Works and Park Maintenance Department.
The event has previously been held in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex since its inception 21 years ago, but the Finley Center has become so busy that city officials decided it would be better to move the location elsewhere.
A second collection day will be in the fall, Mangino said.
The Household Hazardous Waste Day gives Hoover residents a chance to properly dispose of items that shouldn’t go in the garbage or landfill.
Examples of items accepted include leftover wet paint, automotive fluids, household cleaners, pesticides, batteries, standard-size tires, electronics, medication, guns and ammunition.
Hoover residents can bring their hazardous items to the Hoover High School parking lot between 8 a.m. and noon, but they must be prepared to show a valid driver’s license or photo ID with a Hoover address because the event is open only to Hoover residents. Items will not be accepted from businesses.
City records show that in 2019, people in 1,550 vehicles brought items for disposal.
That included enough paint and paint-related materials to fill 112 3-yard boxes and 25 pallets. Workers also collected 55 55-gallon drums of pesticides, seven 55-gallon drums of flammable liquids and solids, two 55-gallon drums of antifreeze, four 55-gallon drums and five 5-gallon containers of household batteries and 40 55-gallon drums of other hazardous materials.
Residents also brought 757 gallons of used motor oil, 250 gallons of used cooking oil, 235 tires, 217 car batteries, seven boxes of aerosols, 41 fire extinguishers, 400 1-pound propane tanks, 32 20-pound propane tanks, 1,240 compact bulbs and 2,120 fluorescent bulbs, records show.
Hoover police also took in 766 pounds of expired or unused medication and some old ammunition at the event, Lt. Keith Czeskleba said. They’ll collect unwanted medication again this year, as well as firearms, ammunition, edged weapons and military ordnance and souvenirs.
The Foundry Rescue and Recovery Center will be back again also, collecting equipment such as TV sets, computer hard drives, keyboards, monitors, computer mice, radios, stereos, telephones, power cables and wiring.
City officials also encourage people to bring old, tattered or damaged U.S. flags for proper disposal.
The city pays MXI Environmental Services to dispose of most of the items collected. Records indicate last year’s cost was about $63,000.