Orange Box program helps residents handle hazardous waste

By Michelle Poirier

The Quinte Waste Solutions met its goal to give away 200 special containers for electronic and hazardous waste as part of its 20^th anniversary celebration this week.

The Quinte Waste Solutions has been collecting hazardous and electronic waste like florescent light bulbs, dead batteries, old paint, broken computers, etc., since its inception. The Quinte Waste Solutions website ensures the center disposed of the waste properly and that anything that can be reused will be. The Quinte Waste Solutions also holds a reuse day once a month where you can pick up or donate things like paint you are no longer using.

In an effort to say thank-you to the people who have been bringing in their hazardous and electronic waste, Quinte Waste Solutions offered free orange boxes to people bringing in their waste. These boxes are to help transport hazardous and electronic materials to the depot by giving them a special container.

On Thursday June 20^th, the day of the event, by 1:30p.m. approximately 300 people dropped off their waste and collect their complementary orange boxes.

Daniel Orr, the communication coordinator at Quinte Waste Solutions, was very happy about the turn out to the event.

There was a line up from the Quinte Waste Solutions center to Moira Street, he said.

“[We were] turning people away at 8, we weren’t open till 9,” Orr said.

This section of the Quinte Waste Solutions started in 1993. Before that the waste went to the regular landfill.

“It was going into the land fill which has a potential to get into the ground and surface water supplies,” he said.

This was bad for the environment and the surrounding habitat, which was how this section of the Quinte Waste Solutions started.

Everyone working at the event was happy with the turnout and was glad that the event was a success.

“We set a goal of 200 and we have succeeded that, we’re pretty happy,” Orr said.