By Chad Koenen

Publisher

As the old saying goes “you can’t get anything for free anymore.” Well don’t tell that to the employees at Otter Tail County Solid Waste as they gear up for another year of free mobile solid waste collections throughout Otter Tail County. 

Last year alone Otter Tail County Solid Waste collected over 120,000 pounds of latex paint, as well as 30,000 pounds of oil based paint as part of its hazardous waste collection program. That includes items collected at both the Fergus Falls facility as well as several mobile collection sites held at various locations like Henning, New York Mills, Deer Creek and Ottertail. 

The personal items are collected for free of charge as the county aims to make it as easy as possible for local residents to dispose of their potentially hazardous materials in a proper fashion. 

“If we collect it for free we know it will be used or disposed of properly,” said Household Hazardous Waste Manager Nick Heeter.

The hazardous mobile collections essentially collect everything from paint, light bulbs, poisonous materials, cleaning products, pesticides and chemicals.  The goal is to make it as easy as possible for area residents to dispose of hazardous material that could otherwise be illegally thrown away or dumped down the drain in a home. Doing so could potentially result in the toxic materials ending up in the water supply.

In addition to household items, the mobile collection sites, as well as Otter Tail County Solid Waste, will dispose of farm chemicals. Heeter said this can be a relief for residents who maybe purchased a farm site and located outdated chemicals in a seldom used building at the back of the property.

“That’s something that is kind of a relief for someone who buys a place and goes into a back shed and sees a chemical that has been outlawed. They can bring it in to recycle,” he said. 

While materials can be dropped off at Otter Tail County Solid Waste in Fergus Falls during regular business hours, the goal of Otter Tail County Solid Waste and several communities in the county is to make recycling as easy as possible for local residents. That means bringing a mobile collection unit to different parts of the county several times a year so local residents can recycle potentially hazardous materials without even leaving their own back yard 

“It is just to get more of it recycled and not in our water system,” said Mike Helle of the City of Henning. 

Heeter said every intention is for the items collected at the mobile sites are properly recycled or reused. 

“Everything we pick up is reused or recycled,” said Heeter. 

For example, paint that is collected is put on a shelf and given away for free to anyone who stops by Otter Tail County Solid Waste in Fergus Falls. That means people who want to find a specific color of paint, or a small amount of a unique color of paint to finish a room, can reuse what someone else wanted to throw away. The paint, as well as other materials collected as part of the hazardous waste pick ups, are given away for free so it can be reused and stay out of the water system.

The free hazardous waste collection pick up is only available for local residents as businesses will need to pay a fee to dispose of their hazardous waste. Anyone can utilize each of the mobile collection sites throughout the county, they do not need to be a resident of that specific community. 

Henning’s hazardous waste mobile collection day will be on Thursday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Otter Tail County Highway Department garage in Henning. Hazardous items can also be dropped off at the Otter Tail County Solid Waste in Fergus Falls during regular business hours as well.