Hazardous Material Recycling Event to be held at OUZ this Saturday

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- The Muskingum County Recycling and Litter Prevention Center is having a hazardous material recycling drive this Saturday from 9AM to 2PM in the parking lot of Ohio University Zanesville on Newark road. 

They said a lot of these materials are improperly disposed of which can contaminate non-hazardous recyclables, seep into the water supply, and lead to environmental degradation. Many of these hazardous materials are common household items that can’t be thrown into the regular trash.

“They’re going to be taking household cleaners, motor oil, transmission fluid, batteries, lightbulbs, fluorescent tubes, and different cleaners and solvents,” Mark Schneider, recycling supervisor of Muskingum County Recycling and Litter Prevention stated.

Properly recycling these hazardous materials isn’t just about having a clean conscience, it’s vital to keeping the environment and the health of humans and animals safe. 

“It also helps keep it out of the environment in general. You know when you take it where it’s actually supposed to go instead of just chucking it over a hill or something… It can get in the water you drink and the animals drink. You know, farmers, their cattle drink out of creeks and streams and that can leach down into them and it can do a lot of harm to pretty much everybody,” Schneider said.

If you find yourself with hazardous materials after the event has passed you can save it up for the next collection. And if you have tires or TV electronics collecting dust, don’t toss them, as they’ll have another recycling event specific for those materials this upcoming fall. A full list of hazardous materials able to be recycled can be found online.