County hazardous waste collection day on Saturday

Published 12:00 pm Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Lauderdale County residents who have been holding on to household hazardous waste such as paint thinners, pesticides and old tires because they don’t know how to dispose of them are in luck — Saturday is Amnesty Day.

Twice a year, Lauderdale County holds a household hazardous waste Amnesty Day for county residents to dispose of household items that are not accepted in regular curbside trash pickup containers, said Daniel Mabry, the county’s solid waste enforcement officer.

The hazardous waste collection will be held from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center, located at 1022 Highway 19 South. The collection is for county residents who live outside the city limits.

“Rain or shine, we are going to be there,” Mabry said. “This is for county residents who have no other place to take these items.”

Items that will be accepted at the drop off include pesticides and insecticides; solvents; fertilizers; paint; aerosol cans; paint thinners; antifreeze; batteries; brake fluid; fluorescent bulbs; stale gasoline; used oil (up to five gallons); appliances; TVs, computers, and cell phones; plastics, including milk and soda jugs; and cardboard.

Mabry said they will also accept old tires with a limit of five passenger vehicle tires or smaller per household.

These hazardous waste items are not supposed to be mixed in with normal household trash in the curbside pick-up cans or dumped at the satellite waste facilities. That is why the county holds two Amnesty Day collections each year for county residents, Mabry said.

Anyone who has questions about the household hazardous waste Amnesty Day, can call 601-816-7923. Mabry said the next Amnesty Day will be held in the spring.