As Lake County residents begin thinking about spring cleanup in and around their homes, the Lake County Department of Utilities and the Solid Waste District team are preparing for a full season of special recycling collections.

“This is a special service we provide exclusively to Lake County residents,” said Commissioner John Plecnik.  “All the collections will be held at the fairgrounds in Painesville Township from 8 am to 2 pm, and are specifically for Lake County residents.  Items will not be accepted from commercial, business or industrial customers, nor residents from outside of Lake County.”

“Lake County understands and recognizes the vital importance of protecting and safeguarding the environment for future generations,” said John Hamercheck, Lake County Commissioners board president. “Through a cooperative effort between county government and its residents, these special collections serve as a venue by which hazardous items can be properly and safely disposed of, rather than being buried in our landfills.”

For the time being, and due to an abundance of caution, various COVID-19 safety requirements will remain in effect—including masks being required by residents delivering items, as well as site personnel overseeing the events.  All accepted items must be in the trunk area of the vehicle; items located in the front or back seats will not be accepted at the collections.  Items on trailers will only be accepted at the tire and hazardous waste collections.

The next electronics collection will be held on Saturday, August 14.  Prohibited at this collection are any items on a trailer, TVs, monitors, exercise equipment, loose batteries, large appliances, carbon & smoke detectors, any item containing Freon.  Residents can be assured all memory components on computer-related devices will be professionally erased or destroyed in a secure facility prior to being recycled.  There are no fees associated with this collection.

The tire collection will be held on Saturday, May 1.  Each resident can bring up to six car or light truck tires, off rim, at no cost.  Additional tires will still be accepted at a charge of $2 each, and any tire on a rim will cost $4.  Oversized tires will cost $10 each.  Only cash or checks will be accepted, and we ask that all checks be made payable to the Lake County Dept. of Utilities (L.C.D.U.).

The TV collection will be held on Saturday, May 8, and will be for TVs and monitors only.  Specifically, residents may bring LCD, plasma and flat TV or computer screens of any size, free of charge.  Tube televisions and CRT monitors will also be accepted, with a fee of $5 for tube screens up to 21 inches, and $10 for tube screens 22 inches and greater. The $10 fee will also apply to both projections and console televisions of any size.  As with the tire collection, only cash and checks will be accepted.

On August 14, a combined TV & electronics collection will occur. Aside from the television-related items and fee structure listed above, electronics will also be accepted.

The hazardous waste collections will be held on Saturdays, June 5 and September 25.  Keeping substances in their original containers or marking them, if possible, is recommended to shorten the processing times.  If residents have a gasoline mixture in a container, the gasoline container can be emptied on-site and returned to the resident while in line.  All household hazardous waste collected during these events will be recycled or destroyed safely by neutralization or incineration.  There are no fees associated with this collection.

For a complete listing of all accepted items, please visit http://bit.ly/2021SPColletions, refer to social media by searching @LCDUOhio, or call (440) 350-2645 during standard business hours.