Jul 8, 2015 By Suzanne Elliott 2 min read

Peters Township is soliciting bids from waste companies to help it dispose of household hazardous waste, such as old paints, for its residents.

The township’s disposal day this year is Sat., Sept. 26, at the Peters Public Works Garage, 750 Bebout Road, Venetia. The township’s Environmental Quality Control Board will be on hand to assist residents.

“We’ve been doing this every other year for years,” said Michael Silvestri, Peters Township manager. “The people asked us for this service.”

Township residents will soon be receiving a letter from the township explaining the program and informing them what can and cannot be accepted for disposal. There will also be a form for them to fill out and present before disposing of their items. In addition, they may be asked to show other identification, such as a driver’s license, the township said, as the service is only available to Peters residents.

Items including transmission fluid, fire extinguishers, weed killers, compact fluorescent bulbs and rodent killers will be accepted. Meanwhile, items such as appliances, smoke detectors, light ballasts, explosives or flares, propane tanks, tires and anything containing asbestos will not be accepted for disposal.

In 2013, the last year the program was held, 463 cars disposed of items and the township collected $5,894 in fees. Overall, the township and MXI Environmental Services of Abingdon, Va., collected 49,265 pounds of household hazardous waste. Paint cans were the most frequently disposed of item.

This program costs the township in excess of $30,000, half of which is usually funded by a grant from the state Department of Environmental Resources. The township does charge $10 for each household disposing of objects and also reserves the right to charge for quantities greater than 20 gallons, Silvestri said.