COLLINS: Hazardous waste facility long overdue and a big step forward
IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, you believe in protecting our environment but find that, sometimes, it’s frustrating to find places who will take back certain items. You would spend half-a-day just running around, taking a half-used tin of paint to one place, an old litre of motor oil somewhere else and it becomes a bit of a gong show. You have to be really dedicated to the cause to deal with that, and most of us just want to get rid of the toxic material with the least amount of work.
And now the City of Kamloops and TNRD are leading the way in allowing us to do just that. The new hazardous household waste facility is now open in the Mount Paul Industrial Park. Now you don’t have to wait for the one day a year when there’s a free drop off — and which you may well forget about until it’s too late — but can take all these items in one fell swoop and put them safely out of harm’s way, and away from your home where there is a much greater chance of a problem. Even fire extinguishers, which are harder to get rid of than you think, can be taken to this new depot.
The fact that both the city and the TNRD are partnering in this venture is a positive sign. It should result in cost savings and may provide other benefits that have yet to come to light.
The more efficient the city can make the process, the more the system will be used.