The Ocean County Household Hazardous Waste Collection program is scheduled to kick off its collection dates for 2023 on March 26 in Lakewood.
Sponsored by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program is available to Ocean County residents through the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management.
“For over 30 years, this free program has provided an avenue for our residents to safely get rid of items such as pool chemicals, herbicides, stains, thinners and a host of other products we sometimes find collecting in our garages and homes,” said Ocean County Commissioner Barbara Jo Crea who is liaison to the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste Management. “I am happy to announce that we are sponsoring this program through 2023, and will continue to work on keeping these materials from damaging our environment.”
The program is open to all residents of Ocean County, but businesses and institutions are not eligible. Pre-registration is required, and can be done online at www.co.ocean.nj.us/recycle, or by calling 732-506-5047, if preferred. Proof of residency is also required.
“With events scheduled throughout the County, residents can attend whichever is more convenient for them,” Crea said.
The following are the collection dates and locations for the program. The collection events will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.:
• March 26 – Lakewood Department of Public Works, 1 America Ave., Lakewood
• May 20 – Stafford Township Department of Public Works, 230 Haywood Road, Manahawkin
• June 10 – Manchester Township Department of Public Works, 1360 Route 70, Manchester Township
• Sept. 16 – Jackson Township Department of Public Works, 95 West Veterans Highway, Jackson Township
• Oct. 14 – Long Beach Township Department of Public Works, 7910 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach Township
• Nov. 4 – Toms River Fraternal Order of Police, 1791 North Bay Ave., Toms River
Ocean County has contracted with Radiac Environmental Services to oversee the collections at a disposal cost of 0.939 cents per pound. In 2022, the program collected 222,388 pounds of household hazardous waste, at a disposal cost of $173,100.
The items that can be dropped off include aerosols, auto products, cleaning products, pool chemicals, compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), fire extinguishers, gasoline, pesticides/herbicides, mercury switches/devices (thermostats), stains/thinners, polyurethanes, and polishes.
Items that are not accepted include electronics, cylinders (oxygen tanks), asbestos, radioactive materials (smoke detectors), infectious wastes, explosives (fireworks, gunpowder, boat flares), scrap metal and unknown materials.
All materials, with the exception of oil and gasoline, should be in the original containers.
A limit of 200 pounds of dry materials and 20 gallons of liquid material is allowed per household. No containers larger than five gallons are accepted.
“The Household Hazardous Waste Collection program provides benefits to our citizens, our towns, and our environment which is something we take great pride in here in Ocean County,” said the Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Joseph H. Vicari. “I commend the Ocean County Department of Solid Waste for continuing to host this program and encourage our residents to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of waste safely.”
Residents are also reminded that they can skip the line for many items and bring them to municipal recycling centers and the county’s recycling centers that allow for year-round drop off of other materials. Those items include used paint, batteries, antifreeze, and waste oil. Residents can use the drop offs located at the Ocean County Northern Recycling Center in Lakewood, or the Southern Recycling Center located in Manahawkin from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information, visit http://www.co.ocean.nj.us/OC/SolidWaste/.