Montgomery County Shares in Hazardous Waste Award

The Regional Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Program, consisting of Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, has been named the 2011 Longstanding Program Excellence award winner by the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association (NAHMMA).

Since 1997, the five counties, through an intergovernmental agreement, have been able to share the administrative burden that often accompanies managing Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection programs. Through this process, the counties are able to achieve the best price (per pound, per material) for all waste streams. The partnership also allows any resident the opportunity to attend nearly 30 HHW collection events in the five-county region each year, allowing for a disposal option almost every other weekend of the year.

“This is a critically important program for our environment, and Montgomery County has played a significant role in helping the five-county region earn this award,” said Josh Shapiro, chair of the Montgomery County Commissioners.  “I urge all of our residents to take advantage of this service this year.

In 2010, the regional program collected approximately three million pounds of HHW and Electronics and served nearly 30,000 households. Since 2004, the program has nearly doubled the amount of material collected and households participating. The program, funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, has been recognized for its successes by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, receiving the “Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence” in 1999 and 2008. The program has also been recognized for outstanding achievement in special collections by receiving a “Waste Watcher” award in 2007 through the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania, the state’s recycling organization.

NAHMMA is a professional organization established in November of 1993, dedicated to pollution prevention and reducing the hazardous constituents entering municipal waste streams from households, small businesses and other entities that may be exempt from local, regional or national regulations.  For more information visit http://www.nahmma.org