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Jan. 16 Deadline for Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off In St. Tammany Parish

Release Date: 1/7/2006
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     Metairie, La. - The last day to deliver household hazardous waste to the Camp Villere drop off center near Slidell is Jan. 16. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality are working with St. Tammany Parish officials to begin transitioning flood-damaged household hazardous waste collection responsibilities to the parish.

     "We have had very successful household hazardous waste collection efforts in the parish," said Michelle Rogow, division supervisor for St. Tammany operations. "As the volume of waste reduces and the parish returns to normal operations, it makes sense for the parish to resume responsibility for managing these materials."

     The household hazardous waste drop off center is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day through Jan. 16.  To access the site, residents may take U.S. Highway 11 to Browns Village Road just north of Interstate Highway 12, then drive about two miles west following signs until they reach the end of paved road at the east gate of Camp Villere.  The drop off site is just inside the gate on the left.

     The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of Louisiana initially called on the EPA to implement a program to collect hazardous chemicals and materials in order to divert them from the hurricane waste stream.  Since Sept. 25, 2005, the EPA, DEQ and U.S. Coast Guard worked together to collect more than 77,000 hazardous waste containers from across the parish.  Operations reduced waste going to the local landfill by more than 550,000 pounds, protecting groundwater quality and extending the local landfill's life.

     Household hazardous waste includes cleaners, pesticides, lawn and garden products, workshop and paint supplies, automotive supplies, batteries, solvents, thermometers, fluorescent lights, flammable products (such as oil, gas, or propane) and other household chemicals.  

     The site will also accept televisions, computers, stereos and other electronic waste, as well as lawn mowers and other gasoline-powered equipment.

     Improper disposal can result in fires, explosions, toxic gas generation and increases the risk of contaminating air, water, sediment and soil.

     Household hazardous waste collection centers cannot accept commercial or industrial waste, medical waste, building materials, vegetation, debris, large appliances, guns, ammunition, explosives, radioactive material, cars or boats.

     If residents have questions about household hazardous waste, they may contact the household hazardous waste hotline at 800-401-1327.  If residents have questions about future parish operations, they may contact the St. Tammany Parish Environmental Service at 985-898-2535. For help with flood-damaged ammunition or guns, residents may call DEQ at 225-342-1234.  For help with unexploded devices, residents may call the Louisiana State Police at 225-925-6595.

     For more information about hurricane response activities, please visit https://www.epa.gov/katrina/, http://www.deq.louisiana.gov/, or http://www.uscgstormwatch.com/go/site/1008/.