Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program: Community Members Collaborating Across the Cape
Published on: October 23, 2019
Barnstable County has a strong commitment to water quality, and this commitment is expressed through programs such as the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection and difficult-to-manage waste programs. Collections are a collaboration between the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension at Barnstable County and individual municipalities, providing a convenient, cost efficient collection of hazardous materials for all Cape towns to keep our communities safe.
This past year, from Provincetown to Bourne, communities across Cape Cod worked hard and collected over 5,400 vehicles and over 400,000 pounds of hazardous waste. This number includes over 290 (55) gallon drums of pesticides; over 90 (55) gallon drums of gasoline, and over 290 (55) gallon drums of flammable sludge.
This initiative helps to protect our first responders, solid waste workers, our sole source aquifer, our families, pets, and the environment. Thanks to Stericycle for being ‘boots on the ground’, our many volunteers and contractors who participated, despite the extreme heat, tropical storms, freezing rain, hail, snow, and whatever else came our way. Additionally, thanks to the towns and district staff who came to help out.
