It looks as though you can add paint to the list of materials eligible for disposal at the GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee’s annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection.
GLOW Recycling Administrator Peggy Grayson on Monday reported that New York’s Paint Stewardship program is expected to become operational by May 1, setting the stage for Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming county residents to drop off left over latex and oil-based paint at the Sept. 17, 2022 collection day at the Genesee County Highway Department on Cedar Street.
The collection event, which rotates among Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston each year, is open to the public at no charge. The electronics collection day is set for Sept. 24, also at the highway department.
Grayson, appearing at the Genesee County Legislature’s Public Service Committee meeting at the Old County Courthouse, distributed brochures indicating that the paint program (www.paintcare.org) has established more than 2,000 drop-off sites in 10 states and the District of Columbia.
While most sites are paint and hardware stores, solid waste facilities – including transfer stations, recycling centers and landfills, plus household hazardous waste facilities – also participate as drop-off locations.
The program is funded by the addition of a small fee to the price of paint containers sold in stores and online.
Information provided by Grayson points out that latex paint is not hazardous waste and small amounts can be safely disposed of in the trash once it is in hardened form. If the can is more than half full, it should be taken to an approved PaintCare location or to the hazardous waste collection site.
In related action, the Public Service Committee approved an extension of a contract with Environmental Enterprises, Inc., and the other GLOW counties for the GLOW Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program at a cost not to exceed $32,000.
“This will be our 18th year (with EEI),” Grayson said. “It’s a great job that they do for us; always on time and they clean up afterwards.”
The PSC also voted in favor of the following resolutions (subject to approval by the full legislature on Feb. 23):
- Leasing of a new Caterpillar hydraulic excavator from Milton Caterpillar in Batavia for $299,929, with annual payments set at $64,135.80. Funding will come from the road machinery budget, which had an estimate of $85,000 annually for the lease purchase.
- Utilization of $77,000 in grant funding for the Sheriff’s Office to pay overtime for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee operations and for additional police services in the Village of Bergen, and for expenses related to a Department of Homeland Security program.
- Acceptance of a $4,056 grant from Homeland Security to cover the costs of sheriff’s deputies' participation in emergency preparedness exercises.
- Implementation of Automated Secure Alarm Protocol at the county’s Emergency Dispatch Center that will cut down the amount of time from the sounding of an alarm to the dispatch of first responders. The $35,000 capital project will be paid by revenues generated by wireless fees and state aid. This would affect all alarm companies linked to The Monitoring Association. “This could mean as much as 30 seconds saved on the front end … and that could make a huge difference (when it comes to a fire),” said Steven Sharpe, director of Emergency Communications.
- Acceptance of a $500,000 grant from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services to fund Justice for Children services in Batavia, Albion and Warsaw and Genesee Justice programming for the next five years through Sept. 30, 2027.
- A $718,564 contract with Union Concrete and Construction Corp. of West Seneca for replacement of the Darien-Alexander Townline Road bridge over Tunnery Brook. The bid was more than $100,000 less than the engineer’s estimate, according to the resolution.