County to hold NoHaz collection Saturday

Bloomfield Township residents and others looking for ways to dispose of household hazardous waste, following the cancellation of the township's recycling event, may pay to participate in Oakland County's NoHaz collection on Saturday, October 12.

The event will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oakland County Service Center, 1200 N. Telegraph, in Pontiac. The site is near building 26E on the county campus. Signs on the campus will direct residents to the collection location.

Household hazardous waste (HHW) items include paints, bleach, computer and electronic waste, insecticides, propane cylinders and other items. Only residential waste will be accepted. A complete list of acceptable items, as well as prohibited items, is available at NoHaz.com.

Bloomfield Township had participated in the NoHaz program, but ended participation this year following a series of budget cuts after the rejection of a special assessment district tax by township residents in August.

All Oakland County residents may dispose of materials at Saturday's event for a fee of $50. Residents living in NoHaz communities may pay a discounted fee of $10, $15 or no charge. NoHaz communities include Addison Township, Brandon Township, Groveland Township, Independence Township, Lake Angelus, Lake Orion Village, Leonard Village, Oakland Township, Orion Township, Ortonville, Oxford Township, Oxford Village, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Rose Township, Springfield Township, and Waterford Township.

Bloomfield Township Supervisor Leo Savoie had pushed prior to the August election to maintain the township's NoHaz collection event, despite the urging of trustees David Buckley and Dani Walsh to cut non-essential programs prior to the election. The trustees, as well as several residents, said after the election that the program cuts appeared to be retribution for rejecting the SAD tax in August, despite Savoie's assertion that such programs were popular with residents. The township was recently forced to close its parking lot over a weekend after disgruntled residents said they would dump their waste at township hall.