1000 x 90

Household Hazardous Waste Day and Operation Medicine Cabinet in Watauga County on Saturday, Oct. 25

By Jesse Wood

Oct. 23, 2014. This coming Saturday is the day to discard hazardous waste around the house and unused prescription drugs.

Household Hazardous Waste Day

The Watauga County Landfill at 336 Landfill Road will accept items it normally doesn’t for Household Hazardous Waste Day on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. – free of charge for Watauga County residents. Commercial waste is not accepted.

Have some old gasoline that is mixed with who knows what stored around the house? What about antifreeze, paint, batteries and household cleaners? This would be the time to get ride of those items.

Here’s the list of what is accepted for the day: Paint, Batteries (all types), Antifreeze, Ethylene, Gasoline, Lighter Fluid, Solid and Liquid Pesticides, Oxidizers, Used Oil, Household Cleaners, Fluorescent Lights, Electronics.

For more information, call Sanitation Department at 828-264-5305 or 828-265-4852.

Operation Medicine Cabinet: Saving Kids, Rivers from Drugs

Release from Watauga County Cooperative Center

Do you have outdated or unused prescription drugs, over the counter medications, syringes or other medical supplies? Come drop them off at the sponsored take-back centers on three different days this October. Any prescription or over the counter drugs will be accepted, no questions asked.

Across Watauga county medicine will be collected on Saturday Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., in conjunction with Hazardous Household Waste Collection Day. Take-back locations will be available at the Foscoe Fire Department, and the three Food Lion stores in Watauga County: the U.S. 321 store in Boone, the U.S. 421 Deep Gap store, and the Blowing Rock store.

This is the fifth year Watauga County has provided medicine take back days, and each year has been an overwhelming success due to the Watauga County Community!

Sheriff LenHagaman appreciates all the people in the High Country who have participated in disposing of their medicines properly, and all the volunteers who have helped.

For example, Dick and Joan Hearn and have been at every collection to help guide folks and provide information to residents.

“We believe in the cause,” said Dick Hearn, “especially keeping meds out of the kids hands. We are a part of the Guardian ad-Litem and we have seen abuse first hand and what it can do to families and youth.”

Hearn stated, “This project is really important to keep medicine out of the wrong hands and let’s not forget about the fish in the river too! Its important to keep your medicine out of the water supply by not flushing your over the counter or prescriptions down the toilet.”

If you can’t make it out on Oct. 25 to Operation Medicine Cabinet, there are now two new drop off sites available in Watauga County – the lobbies of the Watauga County Sheriffs Office and the Boone Police Department. These drop off sites are sponsored by “Project Lazarus,” a community-based overdose prevention and opioid safety with Community Care of North Carolina.

For more information please contact the Watauga County Cooperative Extension at 828-264-3061.

To find out more about the event click to DrugTakeBackDay.com.