In an effort to promote safe disposal of household hazardous waste (HHW), Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) will host two Eco-Depot collections on Saturday, June 18. Rhode Island residents can bring household hazardous waste to the Central Landfill located at 65 Shun Pike in Johnston from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Additionally, Eco-Depot will visit Aquidneck Island for a second special collection of HHW and electronic waste at Portsmouth High School located at 120 Education Lane in Portsmouth from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Both collections are available FREE of charge to Rhode Island residents only. To help reduce time spent in line, appointments should be made in advance. Appointments are not required for residential electronic waste collection.
Created in 2001, the Eco-Depot program is a free service offered by Resource Recovery that provides for the proper handling, packaging, storage, transportation and disposal of household hazardous waste. Since its inception, Resource Recovery has collected approximately 10.6 million pounds of household hazardous waste and served more than 148,000 Rhode Islanders. With numerous collection dates and events held at several municipal locations throughout the state, Rhode Island’s Eco-Depot program is unlike any other household hazardous waste collection in the country. During last year’s Eco-Depot collection in Portsmouth, residents dropped off close to 8.6 tons of household hazardous waste.
“Two collections provide double the fun for Rhode Island residents,” said Joe Rotella, Special Waste Manager for Resource Recovery. “A free, fast and easy appointment can help keep Rhode Island families safe all summer long.”
In addition to household hazardous waste, residential electronic waste will also be accepted at the Portsmouth Eco-Depot collection. Only devices covered under Rhode Island’s electronic waste law will be collected at this event. Covered products are computers (monitors, computer towers, laptops and tablets) and televisions. No other electronic items will be accepted during Saturday’s special collection.
“I am optimistic that Portsmouth residents will take advantage of this opportunity to clean out to old cleaners, paints and garden chemicals in the back of the cupboards or garage,” said Sanne Kure-Jensen Portsmouth Recycling Coordinator. “If people miss this chance to drop off old TVs, monitors and computers, our next e-waste collection event will be Saturday, October 29 from 9 a.m. to noon at Portsmouth High School.”
Many common household items are actually household hazardous waste materials that should not be collected through Rhode Island’s standard trash and recycling collection services. These materials include: fluorescent light bulbs, gasoline, pesticides, oil-based paints, disinfectants, used motor oil and lawn and pool chemicals. When not properly collected and disposed, these materials can cause harm to the local environment by contaminating Rhode Island’s waterways. For a full list of household hazardous waste materials, please visit www.ecodepotri.org.
The upcoming collections in Johnston and Portsmouth are two of 46 Eco-Depot collections RIRRC will provide throughout the state in 2016. To make an appointment for the collection or to view the entire 2016 Eco-Depot schedule, visit www.ecodepotri.org or call 401-942-1430 x241. Rhode Islanders may make an appointment for any Eco-Depot event that fits their schedule.