“Anything we save or dispose of correctly means that it’s not going to a landfill, end up in somebody’s dump, the side of the road or close to a water way” – James Williams
OKMULGEE – Looking under the bathroom sink, it is likely no surprise to find at least one container of a commonly-used household chemical that has expired. These chemicals can be disposed of in one of two ways; down the drain, or responsibly at an event like the biannual Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) event hosted by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Office of Environmental Services. The event was held at the MCN Recycle Center on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Automotive parts, paint products, household and lawn chemicals were some of the items collected.
MCN OES Director James Williams said the collection event gives community members the opportunity to clean out those expired chemicals tucked away under the sink or in the garage. Collection events, held in May and September, make sure that expired household chemicals do not contaminate water sources. There are signs to look for that will indicate when it is time to take a container of chemicals to a hazardous waste collection. These include rusted lids, and hard-to-read labels. According to Williams, it can be easy for unused chemicals to pile up in the home.
“We schedule in two household hazardous waste collection dates because those are the dates that somebody can bring something that’s underneath their sink, or in their garage that they’ve had in there for years. They can’t read the label on some of those canisters. If they’re like me they hate throwing anything away.” Williams said.
The event has collected canisters in the past that were so old the lid was rusted shut. Some canisters collected at this year’s event contained chemicals that were banned, as well as chemicals made by brands that are no longer in business. Williams sees many citizens, community members, and employees from various MCN departments come to their collection events.
On top of posing a threat to water sources, expired hazardous materials can also pose a threat to homeowners if they choose not to do anything with them. Containers kept in hot garages can expand and possibly explode. If chemicals are poured down the drain, it can erode the pipes. Williams strongly encourages everyone to routinely clean out their homes of chemicals that are either expired or no longer used.
“Sometimes (the chemicals) will separate inside that container and if it separates inside it can erode that container and you’ll get leakage,” Williams said. “The longer you have them around the lids will rust depending on the make up of the chemical in the cleaner. The vapors could get to your eyes or skin and be an irritant.”
The collection used a licensed Mvskoke vendor, Basin Environmental, to transport the hazardous material to a disposal site in Oklahoma City where it is incinerated. Basin Environmental is owned and operated by Mvskoke citizen Brock Holleman. Williams said MCN Principal Chief David Hill even stopped by to drop off his unused chemicals before departing for the annual Ocmulgee Indigenous Celebration in Macon, Georgia.
Williams has become known around his neighborhood as the neighbor that hosts recycling and hazardous waste collection events for the Nation. Neighbors have given him recyclables and hazardous waste to take to the annual collection events. This month a neighbor gave Williams 20 cans of paint to deliver to the event. Although it is a chore, Williams is happy to do it and he doesn’t even charge a delivery fee.
The next collection event held by MCN Office of Environmental Services will be Recycling Day scheduled for the week of Nov. 15. To stay up to date on the department’s collection events, visit their Facebook page, Muscogee Creek Nation Office of Environrmental Services.
