Duratek and Los Alamos National Laboratory Sponsors Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day

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On August 27, 2005, Duratek and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) sponsored “Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day” in the nearby town of Española, New Mexico. The annual event, which Duratek has conducted in various Northern New Mexico communities since 2000, provides an opportunity for residents to safely dispose of hazardous top: Chlordane, a pesticide banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in the late 1980s, was one of the chemicals turned in by a resident at the collection. above: Mike Pope, left, of Duratek, and other volunteers pour fungicide into a 55-gallon drum at the household hazardous waste collection day.

top: Chlordane, a pesticide banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in the late 1980s, was one of the chemicals turned in by a resident at the collection. above: Mike Pope, left, of Duratek, and other volunteers pour fungicide into a 55-gallon drum at the household hazardous waste collection day.

household products as an alternative to sending them to local landfills.

Duratek employee Dave LaLonde planned and organized the event and 15 other Duratek employees volunteered their Saturday to collect, segregate, and package the more than 5,500 gallons of hazardous household waste dropped off by residents. Items collected included fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, solvents, petroleum products, paint, and other hazardous products. Some had been removed from the marketplace years ago due to their extreme toxicity, but people still had them stored in their garages.

The volunteers from Duratek and LANL ensure that all materials are handled safely and in compliance with environmental regulations and the packaged waste is sent to a permitted disposal facility with disposal costs paid by LANL and Duratek.

Vol.1 No.3
Fall 2005
(past issues)