"GOOD RIDDANCE DAY" AN OFFICIAL REGIONAL EVENT SINCE 2000

  
Household Hazardous Waste Collection postponed for Weston:  http://www.westonct.gov/media/file/2020HHWSchedule.pdf
Prior to 2000, Weston combined with other towns or went it alone...and we were so good about safely disposing of our HHW that the other host community asked us not to do it with them any more.




"GOOD RIDDANCE DAY 2019" April 27th, 8:30am to 12:30pm.  All numbers from 12pm (so estimate that as 80% of final total)

HOW MANY CARS (SUBTOTAL)? 208

HOW MANY FROM WESTON?  140

ANYTHING SPECIAL HAPPEN (i.e. long waiting lines)? Only a serious line in the beginning.

PICTURE STORY

DPW on the scene!  Director himself there to watch how things went!



208 - 140 from Weston. 
All 8 towns in former SWRPA Region came - even from Greenwich!  Norwalk, Westport and Wilton came in double digits.  We arrived around noon...no wait to speak of, so we parked and got the numbers.


WHAT WAS THERE TO OBSERVE...PROPANE TANKS ACCEPTED?.

ONE OF THE LAST ARRIVALS
Looks as if he is happy to get rid of some small but potent items!

  

COMING SOON!!!  CLICK HERE FOR REMINDER OF WHAT NOT TO BRING TO HHW DAY


Previously...

2018 "Good Riddance Day" report

HHWDAY 2018
The situation when we arrived was perfect - no wait.  In the trip along the pathway to disposal we saw the DPW Fleet...



GOOD RIDDANCE DAY 2018 PICTURE STORY
Getting rto DPW at around 11:45am seems to be perfect - any early rush has subsided but it is before the last minute rush...
 
Regional Household Hazardous Waste Disposal at DPW over for 2018:  210 cars by 11:45am...150 from Weston.  45 minutes to go, cars were streaming in still...no wait.

May 8, 2018 from 9am to 12pm at DPW for Weston residents only - "SHREDDING DAY"




G O O D    R I D D A N C E    D A Y    2 0 1 7 :

The numbers:  est. 230 plus.  (at shortly before noon the count was 205).  By far it was Westonites who showed up, with Norwalk second, Westport third.


Did we do traffic counts?  No.  But it would require turning movement counts to get precise picture.*  
HYPOTHESIS:  "One in three cars on Old Hyde Road between 8:30am and 12:30pm went to Good Riddance Day."  With no reliable data points, we must reject the hypothesis.
* = How do you do this?  Very simple.  E-mail this website for further info.


Boxes and bottles w/o stuff! 
Already packed and consolidated by material by large staff from..see below.
 

Lots of workers - very efficient! 
Excellent combination with Town staff as extras and official observers to make sure Westonites treated well.


Prepared for rain during analysis.
Very efficient - leadership of Pattie - keeping close track of who's from which town by car so that the correct bill can be sent to the right municipality in former SWRPA area.


How's this for "selling" Weston...can you find DPW?
What other communities in Lower Fairfield County have their DPW Garage on one of the fanciest streets in town?  (P.S.  DPW was in this location before zoning[ [used to host the dog pound, too] - but not with the lovely layout and design by DPW Chief Joe)



O N E   C O L L E C T I O N   I N    E A C H    O F    E I G H T    F O R M E R    S W R P A    C O M M U N I T I E S
LINK TO 2017 "SWRPA" REGION HHW DAY DATES:  http://www.westonct.gov/media/file/HazardousWasteDay2017.pdf


That's four weeks away!






R E G I O N A L   H H W    D A T E S    ( F R O M    S T A M F O R D    W E B S I T E )


ON THE WAY TO HHW DAY ON A LOVELY SATURDAY


AND PAST LACHAT...WITH ITS RUSTED FARM EQUIPMENT AS SCULPTURE...


     
TO GOOD RIDDANCE DAY, APRIL 30, 2016 AT DPW AND ITS RUSTED IMPLEMENTS!
A great day to visit rural Weston - and altho' no official numbers, we got the impression that some from the cities took a day in the country for HHW!!! We enjoyed our trip across Godfrey Road, checking out progress at the Lachat Town Farm...Weston looked lovely and very tidy, as this was also "Green-Up" Day!




CHEMICALS AND MORE CHEMICALS
Bottles and cartons not sorted by color - but it almost looks like it!

   
WE WERE AMONG THE LAST TO SHOW UP...@12 noon or so.
We found out that more than 200 cars had gone through the line, and the the wait had been even longer than our wait of @20 minutes.  which according to our "records" below, was in the ball park for total customers (might have been lower for Westonites) and in the ball park on the length of wait time.



STATE POLICE ENFORCING BUCKLE UP LAWS, WE NOTE THIS BACK SEAT PASSENGER IS SAFE!
Is that a built-in seat belt?  Or custom made?  And what is the Boxer doing in an Audi (thought they only rode in Porsche Boxters).




R E G I O N A L    H H W    D A T E S    ( F R O M   N O R W A L K    W E  B S I T E )

GOOD RIDDANCE DAY APRIL 25, 2015 - GORGEOUS DAY FOR DISPOSING OF HHW!

    
How many cars by 11:45am?  The official estimate from DPW:  150.  Was there a wait? Yes.  How long? 16 minutes.  Ratio between local Weston "customers" and others in the region?  110 from Weston - you do the math!

     
Checking in, with a backdrop of sand and more sand - reminding us of DPW's great effort on snowfall removal this year and keeping our roads safe; two 16 yard containers for disposables that DPW will take to the transfer station later (NOTE:  BY 2017 they don't take it for you any more);  cardboard containers for separating same types of hazardous materials containers.  Barrels for specific types of hazardous materials that perhaps were mixed...

MAY 2, 2014 FROM 9AM TO 12PM AT DPW FOR WESTON RESIDENTS ONLY THIS TIME - "SHREDDING DAY" 






2014 - PLEASE RE-READ YOU POISON GREEN GOOD RIDDANCE DAY INVITATION FOR SHREDDING EVENT.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection total participating:  256 cars of which appox. 150 were from Weston.  We arrived late to get the numbers!
April 26th event over! It rained heavily at the start, and then continued most of the morning, so the waste products were dealt with inside (concrete floor) at a couple of DPW bays.  The chemical part of the operation went on with extra protection mats on the floor. NOTE:  As the DPW garage, we note that oil changes are probably done in this room ordinarily...


Good Riddance Day 2013 was Saturday, April 27, 2013 at DPW on Old Hyde Road, 8:30am to 12:30pm.  A gorgeous day!
NEW FOR 2013:  TOWN OF WESTON ANNOUNCES SHREDDING DAY IN SAME MAILING...BUT FOR WESTON RESIDENTS ONLY

2013 - HOW DID IT GO?  The folks who ran the event with DPW were having a great time in the beautiful weather!   Of course, this worker was far away from fumes!!!  Since we did not come at the very end, we can't tell you the final number.  However, an estimate provided by DPW with about an hour more to go (around 11:30am) indicated that so far 150 (approx.) Westonites had attended and about 100 from the other 7 towns in SWRPA (it was available to the 8 towns in the M.P.O./SWRPA region).  If this estimate was accurate (done on the fly) what it shows is that Westonites came out in force and our neighboring towns found out how to find Old Hyde Road!



VERY ORGANIZED.  This Westchester-based group unloaded quickly from cars and keeps traffic moving - like "retail" approach.  In previous years, other organizations have come from further away (Massachusetts, for example) and did both initial sorting and some final packing on the spot during hours of actual drop off.  The sorting this year and last, IIRC, is done without the presence of a major "big rig" truck by more people at once.



This year there were many workers and super efficient loaders and sorters!  Excellent job!  Not official because it wasn't at the end of the event:  Percentage of out of towners up this year.

NOTE:  "Shredding Day" Saturday MAY 11 from 9am to 12 noon at DPW FOR WESTON RESIDENTS ONLY.
"GOOD RIDDANCE DAY 2012"  Saturday, April 28th, 8:30am - 12:30pm, over now;  Big turnout, lots of sorting left to do!!!
Over in Weston - regional Household Hazardous Waste Collections   - other opportunities this spring/summer and in the fall of 2012!


Turnout included more out of town cars than usual - not official number, estimated...184 before 12 noon. 


TURNOUT JUST BEFORE 12 NOON = 184 - INCREASE IN OUT OF TOWN PARTICIPANTS. 


REGIONAL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION...THE DAY AFTER EARTH DAY
In Weston Saturday, April 23, 2011, 8:30am-12:30pm at the Department  of Public Works, 78 Old Hyde Road.  Any long waits? 
What to bring and how to pack if you plan to attend any of the HHW DAYS...Where to find another opportunity to safely dispose of household hazardous waste products this year, since it was school vacation again...photo at @11:30am (r)
REGIONAL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY 2010 A SUCCESS - DURING SCHOOL VACATION WEEK THE TOWN EMPTIES OUT...35% SCHOOL FAMILIES (ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOWN)!!!

'GOOD RIDDANCE DAY' APRIL 24, 2010 AT D.P.W. 8:30am to 12:30pm
This is a regional event, and the opening one in the 2010 series - City Carting and Care Environmental Corps in charge along with staff of DPW.
Start gathering your household hazardous waste products NOW...and we did!!!  Lower turnout (170 plus cars by 12:15pm) because it was scheduled for school vacation week.  If you missed it, there are more opportunities this year:  http://www.westonct.gov/media/file/HazardousWasteSchedule20102.pdf

" G O O D   R I D D A N C E   D A Y  " APRIL 25, 2009 got @250 cars, 90% from Weston (est.)!
We have a few different views, in addition to this sub-page, of household hazardous waste collections of yore.


Household Hazardous Waste Collection at DPW
Weston will 'green up' Saturday      
Weston Forum
Written by Kimberly Donnelly  
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 (from the web today)

Mother Nature has begun doing her part to “green up” the town, and so, too, will Westonites this weekend.

Good Riddance Day (househould hazardous waste collection) and the 37th annual Green Up Day, a communitywide town clean-up, are this Saturday, April 25, rain or shine.
Kick-off for Green Up Day is at 9:45 a.m. at Norfield Congregational Church. Collection bags and routing instructions will be issued by the Kiwanis Club of Weston, which has been coordinating Green Up Day since the death of the event’s founder, Millie Best, in 2004.

Ms. Best’s enduring commitment to the environment led her to establish Green Up Day in Weston nearly four decades ago. It was to be one day in late April when the community came together to pick up trash from the town’s roadsides.

What started as a Weston tradition became a statewide event when, in 1995, the governor of Connecticut declared the last Saturday of April to be Green Up Day.

This year, more than 200 youths and adult volunteers are expected to participate in Weston alone, including members of the Kiwanis Club, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, and the town’s Garden Club.

All Westonites are encouraged to chip in. Neighborhoods or streets may organize roadside cleanups, or individuals may simply spend a few minutes picking up trash or debris near their homes.

Good Riddance Day

For those who are doing some spring cleaning inside their houses, coinciding with Green-Up Day is the townwide Good Riddance Day, a household hazardous waste collection from 8:30 to 12:30 at the Department of Public Works garage on Old Hyde Road.

There is no charge for participation, but proof of residency will be required.

Many household items contain hazardous substances that pose health and environmental risks. Improper disposal of certain household toxins can contaminate well water, because unlike solids and bacteria, these chemicals cannot be removed by the earth’s natural filtering process.

During Good Riddance Day, hazardous waste is sorted by category, properly packed by a licensed hauler, and disposed of properly; hauling and disposal of these wastes are regulated by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

OK

Among the items that will be accepted during Good Riddance Day are acids, aerosols, antifreeze, disinfectants, drain openers, flea powder, gasoline, transmission fluid, batteries, kerosene, oven cleaner, oil-based paint, paint remover, paint thinner, stain, turpentine, varnish, photo chemicals, rust and spot removers, and swimming pool chemicals.

Mercury thermometers may be exchanged for non-mercury ones.

Motor oil and car batteries may be brought to the Weston transfer station and left with the regular attendant.

Not OK

Items that will not be accepted during hazardous waste collection are latex paints; smoke detectors; pesticides containing dioxin, 2,4,5T and its derivatives; etiologicals, kepone; pentachlorophenol; explosives; gas cylinders; pathologicals; PCBs; radioactive materials; infectious materials; and shock-sensitive materials.

A trained chemist will be on hand during the waste collection to answer questions and advise what to do with items that cannot be accepted.

The Weston public works facility is on Old Hyde Road between Lord’s Highway and Steephill Road.

For more information on Good Riddance Day, call 222-2656.

"Good Riddance" to noxious household items, Weston Household Hazardous Waste Collection 2008 now history!

Did you miss it?  Here is the full schedule for the rest of the year, with October 4, 2008 from 9am to 2pm at the Westport-Weston Health District, 180 Bayberry Lane, Westport and October 25, 2008 at the Middlebrook School, 131 School Road, Wilton, from 8:30am to 3pm popular venues for Westonites, too!

The rain held off and the sun eventually came out as more than 200 cars made their way thru the gauntlet in almost no time (at least when "About Town" was dropping off stuff) @11:30am.  The final breakdown will be posted here, but it was reported that nothing unusual had surfaced this year, just the usual items!  But they were ready for a crowd (and if a comparison with previous years is valid, 2008 was shaping up to be a normal year  with an hour remaining)!
Weston hosted the first in the 2007 series...
Unofficial report...we brought nickel-cadmium and lithium batteries in a small box, which were deemed hazardous.
Not a beautiful day for Household Hazardous Waste Collection April 28, 2007 - but it wasn't raining, it just threatened!

NOT FINAL OR OFFICIAL NUMBERS...and the brand taste of Westonites has changed!
@ 12 noon, 205 cars, mostly Westonites, who brought paints, pesticides and other usual products.   It was interesting, but the line was just around the corner from the two-bay deposit area when we first drove in.  By the time we made it around the corner of the DPW building, the line was as it appears below, right.  It seemed like a steady flow.  Now, if you missed  this event in Weston, there will be others in the Spring and Fall around the region - click here for the schedule: http://www.westonct.gov/media/file/HazardousWasteDays2007.pdf

This was a very efficient crew, with numbers for us on the spot - DPW employees played a big part in keeping the line moving!

Fair weather for "Good Riddance Day 2006" (Regional Household Hazardous Waste) Collection! 
Onion Barn announcement in advance, plus "poison green flyer" sent out to all residents by the Town of Weston brought more than 210 by 11:20am to D.P.W. on Old Hyde Road...FORUM reported 240 cars by the end...

where DPW employees greeted all comers, popped trunks to give a preliminary check (perhaps sending those who only brought latex paint to the transfer station);  at the time "About Town" arrived there was a brief wait;  by the end of the line a D.P.W. employee stands guard...

cars taken two at a time;  "still life" of household hazardous waste items (r.).


Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection 2005 - Total @240 cars!
It rained, but tht didn't keep people away!!!  With 180 cars counted by 11am (estimate from Clean Harbors representative on site), and another 90 minutes to go, we were going for a record...will be close to our pace of last year (270 cars on a perfect, sunny Saturday in April)? 
APRIL SHOWERS BROUGHT...EVEN MORE CARS WITH "GOOD RIDDANCE" GIFTS!
 
Onion Barn sign announced event to all, and Town of Weston mailing ("poison green" flyer) went out the week before...
 
Clean Harbors crew does their thing, and forklift helps out!!!  When finished (some hours after the official closing time of 12:30pm), materials will have been sorted by chemists (one shown in yellow apron, another in blue slicker--guys in white are also qualified specialists in chemical science).