Environmental Stewardship Regional Practices

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With funding from the Maine State Planning Office, Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments (AVCOG) partnered with the City of Lewiston and Environmental Projects, Inc. to develop a permanent household hazardous waste facility in Lewiston. The facility opened its doors to residents of the three-county region in September 2005. The facility collects harsh cleaners, oil-based paints and stains, pesticides, automotive fluids, swimming pool chemicals and many other substances that pose a fire hazard or a chemical threat to public health and the environment.

Having a permanent facility open on a regular basis from April to November each year provides convenient access for residents to dispose of hazardous waste products. Towns in the region can dispense vouchers allowing households to dispose of five gallons of liquid waste or 20 pounds of dry waste, plus five fluorescent light bulbs for free. Maine residents from outside the region can also use the facility by paying a $25 fee. In addition, special one-day collections will be held throughout region for residents who live outside of Lewiston.

AVCOG also supports a clean environment by encouraging residents to choose non-hazardous alternatives. The COG implemented an information campaign with additional State Planning Office funding. Campaign materials include brochures about purchasing or making safer alternatives to hazardous products, like mixing white vinegar with baking soda to clear clogged drains rather than using a chemical product.

The Northwest Regional Planning Commission in Wisconsin established the Northwest Cleansweep Program in 1995 to safely offset agricultural hazardous waste disposal costs. The program collects hazardous waste for free from farmers and households, while agriculture-related businesses like tree, vegetable and cranberry operations and other businesses that generate small quantities of hazardous waste receive a 50 percent discount on disposal costs.

The Cleansweep Program provides an important service to the region with the free or low-cost service. Hazardous Waste Program Director Bill Welter says, "Without the program, a lot of the waste would go into landfills or ditches. There's also a lot of county-owned land in the area. Unfortunately that's a place that people tend to dump things if they don't have other options available." The Cleansweep Program fills the service gap as a free option for residents and an affordable one for business owners.

The hazardous waste collection is funded by levies from the region's counties and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection grants. The remainder of the budget comes from user fees from businesses and contracts with outside counties. This system is an improvement over the previous one, in which the 10 counties each contracted out their hazardous waste collection at high cost. The partnership formed through the Northwest Regional Planning Commission decreases the businesses' and the region's disposal cost while it mitigates natural resource degradation.

The program has been effective in the region. Welter says, "When we started the program in 1995, we collected about 50,000 pounds, and it's only increased. The last two years we've been running over 200,000 pounds." In addition, about 70 percent of the collected waste is recycled into new uses, including fuel re-blending.

Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments 125 Manley Rd. Auburn, ME 04210 Tel: 207.783.9186 Fax: 207.783.5211 http://www.avcog.org/

Northwest Regional Planning Commission 1400 S. River St. Spooner, Wisconsin 54801 Tel: 715.635.2197 Fax: 715.635.7262 http://www.nwrpc.com/