Walton County Tells Residents to Keep Hazardous Waste Out of Storm Debris Piles
Freeport residents still clearing Hurricane Isaias debris should keep the paint cans, motor oil, batteries and propane tanks out of their roadside piles. Walton County Emergency Management says household hazardous waste collection has not started yet, and mixing those items in with storm debris will only slow the cleanup.
The county’s October 24 reminder, shared to the City of Freeport’s page over the weekend, spells out what counts as household hazardous waste: paints, solvents and chemicals; pesticides and fertilizers; gasoline, motor oil and other fuels; batteries and propane tanks; and household cleaners and other flammable materials. All of it has to stay separate from the vegetative and construction debris that contractors are hauling away across Walton County.
For now, the instructions are about preparation rather than pickup. Residents should keep containers sealed, upright and stored safely, and they should not place household hazardous waste roadside for collection at this time or mix it into regular storm debris or household garbage. “Walton County will announce when household hazardous waste collection will begin and provide instructions for proper placement and pickup,” the agency wrote.
The guidance has already answered questions from residents working through the cleanup. When one asked who would pick up a mangled metal shed that blew across a road, the agency replied that it counts as construction and demolition debris the contractors will collect as well — “it just needs to be moved close to the right of way.”
Hazardous waste disposal is not new ground for the county. Walton County Solid Waste holds two amnesty events a year, in the spring and again in the fall, at two locations: Topsail Hill Preserve State Park at 7525 W County Highway 30A in Santa Rosa Beach and the Walton County Landfill at 1118 Institution Road in DeFuniak Springs. The fall event ran on October 3, with a waste tire amnesty at the same time, and the county has posted ongoing storm debris removal updates at bit.ly/IsaiasDebrisUpdate.
The county closed its notice with thanks “for your patience and cooperation as recovery efforts continue throughout Walton County.”
Originally reported by Walton County Emergency Management. Image: Walton County Emergency Management.
