CAMDEN — By BRADLY GILL
Staff writer
Ouachita County has added a fourth ‘R’ to the recycle, reduce and reuse slogan: Relocate - as in they have relocated the facility from a site on U.S. 278 and have new land behind the Ouachita County Detention Center.
Ouachita County Judge Robert McAdoo said the original location of the recycling center was leased from a private individual, whereas the new land is owned by the county.
“It won’t be on leased land anymore,” McAdoo said.
McAdoo estimated the center recylces around 100 tons of materials every year. According to the he Arkanasas Department of Environmental Quality Arkansas as a whole recycles 2,789,660 tons of material, or about 45% of discarded materials.
McAdoo outlined the new procedures residents of the county must follow to drop off their recyclables.
He said, “First of all, operations is Monday through Saturday 7:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m. As you bring tires in you must see the attendant, because no tires can be put on the ground. They have to be put in the housing rolloff. We still will take scrap metal.”
McAdoo also said that all cartons and plastic containers as well as paint cans must be cleaned out before being delivered. Safety of county workers was cited as the reason for the change as employees of the center previously found objects such as used syringes discarded in milk cartons.
Residents will still be able to recycle old oil once the receptacle from the old recycling centers has been moved over.
Likewise all forms of electronics and batteries will be accepted at the center.
The Arkanasas Department of Environmental Quailty website states, ” Many electronics contain elements – lead, mercury, and cadmium, for example – that are safe when the items are used as directed but can be hazardous if disposed of in household trash and compacted at landfills.
“Cathode ray tube televisions and computer monitors contain an average of four pounds of lead depending on size and make. Electronics have been cited as a leading source of mercury in municipal waste. The largest source of cadmium in municipal waste is rechargeable nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, commonly found in laptops, cell phones, and cameras. In addition, brominated flame-retardants are commonly added to plastics used in electronics. If improperly handled, these toxins can be released into the environment, posing a threat to human health.”
Consumer electronics become e-waste:
• Televisions and computer monitors
• Computers and tablets
• Computer auxiliary devices
• Audio/stereo equipment
• VCRs
• DVD players
• Video cameras
• Telephones
• Fax and copy machines
• Cellular phones
• Wireless devices
• Video game consoles
• Health Hazards from Improper E-waste Disposal
McAdoo said that any organic materials such as wood or leaves must be discarded in the city of Camden’s landfill.