Old Paint, Pool Chemicals and That Mystery Jug in the Garage: Wilson County Takes It All, Free, Oct. 3
Every garage in Mt. Juliet has one shelf nobody talks about. Half a can of deck stain from the house before this one, a jug of pool shock from the summer the kids swore they would clean the pool, some bug spray that predates the current HOA. None of it belongs in the curbside bin, and on Saturday, Oct. 3, Wilson County will take it off your hands for free.
The Wilson County Solid Waste Department and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation are holding a household hazardous waste collection from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center, 945 E. Baddour Parkway in Lebanon, the same fairgrounds that hosted the Wilson County Fair in August. It costs nothing, and you do not have to live in Wilson County to use it.
What to load in the trunk
The county's list of accepted items covers most of what collects in a Middle Tennessee garage or laundry room:
- Cleaning fluids, adhesives and aerosol cans
- Pesticides and other lawn and garden chemicals
- Swimming pool chemicals
- Paint thinner and brake fluid
- Mercury thermometers and thermostats, and fluorescent bulbs
- Lithium and button batteries
- Medications
- Used needles, sealed in a sturdy container
What stays home
The state's mobile program does not take ammunition or explosives, radioactive material, medical or biological waste from clinics, or smoke detectors, which can be recycled elsewhere. It also takes household waste only, so nothing from a business, school or farm operation. The county has posted a flyer with the full list, and questions go to the Wilson County Solid Waste Department at 615-444-8360 or the state program at 888-891-8332.
A few habits make the line move faster: keep products in their original containers with labels on, set them upright in a box so nothing tips on the drive, and stay in your vehicle while crews unload.
A 30-year-old program that works
Tennessee's mobile household hazardous waste service has been rolling to county fairgrounds and parking lots since 1993. The state counts more than 1,500 one-day collections since then, with over 383,000 families dropping off more than 25 million pounds of material that would otherwise have gone to a landfill or down a storm drain. In a fast-growing county with plenty of new neighborhoods and plenty of garages to clean out, one Saturday morning goes a long way.
If Oct. 3 does not work, the same state program stops in Rutherford County on Oct. 10 and Sumner County on Oct. 17.
Clearing out the garage is also a good way to get ready for a busy fall. Our Fall and Halloween family guide for Mt. Juliet and Wilson County has the rest of the season's plans, and our look at how Wilson County earned its age-friendly certification covers more county services for older residents.
