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4.5 Million Hazardous Material Containers Collected in Southern Louisiana -- Environmental Responders Keep Hazards Out of Landfills, Away from the Public

Release Date: 11/09/2006
Contact Information: Dave Bary or Tressa Tillman at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(New Orleans, Louisiana – November 9, 2006) More than 4.5 million hazardous material containers have been recovered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers from areas damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in southern Louisiana.

Since collection began in September 2005, more than 17 million pounds of hazardous waste has been recycled or properly disposed of to prevent future environmental and public health problems

Household hazardous materials include products like bleach, propane, batteries, paints, solvents, pesticides and fertilizer. Materials are collected by crews going house to house or are brought to collection centers by residents.

More than four million of the containers are categorized as “small,” holding a few ounces or as many as 54 gallons. In addition, more than 40,000 55-gallon drums, 45,000 propane tanks, 76,000 cylinders and 6,400 larger containers containing hundreds to thousands of gallons of hazardous materials were collected.

Residents are reminded about the importance of separating water-damaged household hazardous materials, placing them curbside, and keeping the materials away from water meters and fire hydrants. As homes are gutted and demolished, the segregation of household hazardous waste ensures the proper disposal of this material.

“We ask that the household hazardous waste not be put in plastic bags. By setting the material curbside, our job of protecting the state’s landfills and citizens becomes much easier,” said Nancy Jones, EPA’s Incident Commander for the Agency’s Hurricane Response. For those areas of New Orleans where debris collection has stopped, household hazardous waste can be dropped off at any of the three public sites which are located at 2301 Hendee Street, Crowder Road and I-10, or at 2829 Elysian Fields.

EPA’s Hurricane Response Public Information Office is available to provide information on a variety of hurricane-related environmental issues. Contact the office at (504) 736-7731, or send an e-mail to R6IMT_InformationOfficer@epa.gov.