The Campbell County Extension Agent for Natural Resources and Environmental Management serves on the Northern Kentucky Household Hazardous Waste Action Coalition with Boone, Campbell, and Kenton County Solid Waste Departments, Sanitation District NO. 1, and the Cities of Covington and Florence.  The coalition received a $145,000 grant from the Kentucky Division of Waste Management to conduct a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event on Nov. 2, 2019 at U.C. Health Stadium in Florence, KY. In addition, The Campbell County Extension District Board contributed $5000 to help increase Campbell County participation and volunteerism at the event.

According to the EPA, the average household generates more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste per year.  Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive and toxic require special care when you dispose of them.  

Campbell County residents identified the need for oil, fuel, and other flammables disposal options at Extension Environmental Advisory Council meetings and directly to the agent and county solid waste coordinators. www.nkyhhw.org is utilized to educate the community about household hazardous waste and provides collection event details.  News articles promoting the event and requesting volunteers, were published in the Campbell County Recorder, with a circulation of 17,000, on October 24 and 31, 2019. 

Members of the Household Hazardous Waste Coalition, including the extension agent and 247 volunteers from NKY schools and businesses worked at the event.  2696 residents of Boone, Campbell, and Kenton County participated.  Disposal and recycling vendors (Environmental Enterprises, Inc. and Tri State Escrap) reported collecting:

• 140,673 pounds of electronics
• 118,058 pounds of paint
• 19,435 pounds of fuel, anti-freeze, corrosives, and flammables
• 8,029 pounds of pesticides
• 3,152 pounds of household cleaners
• 3,172 pounds of dry cell, and Ni Cd batteries

12,981 people have properly disposed of household hazardous waste due to these events since Extension Service became involved in 2015.  Since then 2,110 Campbell County residents have participated at these events which directly address the community’s needs for proper household hazardous waste disposal options.