ROCKPORT — The train of vehicles entering the gates of Mid-Coast Solid Waste, in Rockport, June 22, was not slowing down even by closing time, 4 p.m. It was a remarkable day at the transfer station, as drivers lined up and down Union Street, edging slowly into four lines inside the gates.

A few were heeding last call for the weekend chance to unload recyclables and trash, but most were there to dispose of containers filled with chemicals – resin, acetone, insecticides, paint – that were placed carefully in car trunks and truck beds for the drive to the annual Household Hazardous Waste disposal day.

It is a well-organized event, and this year, collection records were broken. Mid-Coast Solid Waste subsidizes the event and advertises to the households in the communities that comprise the Mid-Coast Solid Waste Corporation: Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport. 

Approximately 152 vehicles passed through the collection area; 142 of them carried 351 units of household hazardous waste (HHW) and 10 with just paint.

In 2023, there were 143 vehicles, with 288 units of HHW and paint for disposal. In 2022, 334 units of HHW was accepted, and in 2021, 284 units.

A unit equals five gallons or 20 pounds, according to the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, which oversees the Environmental Depot in Lewiston.

A crew from the Auburn-based Environmental Projects, Inc., was on hand at the transfer station for the afternoon collection. That morning, the crew had completed the same work in Union at the TriCounty Transfer Station.

Mid-Coast Solid Waste has held a HHW collection day the third weekend in June for many years. Several years ago, the transfer station began incorporating paint and paint care products into what is accepted.

“All year, we answer calls about hazardous waste and we refer people to the Maine Environmental Depot or Riverside Recycling Facility in South Portland if they have items other times of the year,” said Beth Kwiatkowski, administrative assistant at Mid-Coast Solid Waste.

“MCSWC is not licensed to accept hazardous waste so we must refer our residents to these facilities,” she said. “During the year, EPI schedules many community pick-ups.”

Mid-Coast Solid Waste charges for disposal, $16 per unit, and this year collected $5,442. Expenses for the day were $12,906.50. That includes buying lunch for the EPI employees, advertising and overtime for the regular employees at the transfer station.

Camden Public Works lends the traffic control materials; still easing vehicles into line from the busy Union Street is a continuous challenge, said Kwiatkowski. But, the job gets done by the end of the day, and the toxic materials that have been dug out of garages and sheds get directed to specific hazardous waste disposal sites.

“All our employees work very hard on the day we accept household hazardous waste and we can’t say enough about their input and efforts,” she said. “EPI employees tell our money collectors how many units a car has dropped off and we then charge accordingly when told that information. So many people who come to the collection day are grateful to be able to do the right thing for the environment in disposing of these materials. We get many compliments and good cheer even after they have to wait to drop off for a while.”

Throughout the year, Mid-Coast Solid Waste only accepts paint if it is latex, and it is hardened in the can or made non-liquid with kitty litter, sawdust or a product sold at the hardware stores.

“We prefer it to be recycled and E.L. Spear and Sherwin Williams, in Rockland and Belfast, are places that accept it all year with gallon limits from households,” she said. “Large stores, such as Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe’s are not required to accept paint back, but they do charge the 75-cent fee when they sell the paint just like Rankin’s, Viking and Hammond Lumber do.” (See attached PDF for paint disposal tips).

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657