History of Events
Overview
During the years we were trying to build support to hold our first HHW event, Cayuga County staff found 100% grant funding to hold a similar event, an agricultural chemical collection event known as a Clean Sweep. So, the County's first hazardous waste event was not the 1997 HHW day, but our 1996 Clean Sweep event. After successfully implementing Clean Sweep 1996, the County Legislature authorized the local contribution to hold our first HHW event the following year.
Since 1997, the County Legislature has authorized the County's Solid Waste Management Program Office to regularly apply for 50% New York State assistance to conduct these programs. In all, Cayuga County has received over $200,000 in New York State grant funds to conduct its household hazardous waste collections and generally has matched the State dollars one for one.
The County has also received assistance from federal sources, the City of Auburn and NUCOR Steel to make these collection programs available to the public.
Cayuga County has also co-sponsored and/or supported other events for hazardous materials and/or hazardous chemicals, such as the New York State Department of Environmental Clean Sweeps of agricultural and school chemicals in 2005 and 2009, and, the City of Auburn Police and Kinney's Drug Stores prescription drug and medicine collections that began in 2010.
Clean Sweep Events: Hazardous Chemicals from Agriculture & Schools
- Clean Sweep 1996: Clean Sweep, November 7, 1996
- Clean Sweep 2002: Clean Sweep, October 30 and 31, 2002
- Clean Sweep 2003: Clean Sweep, November 18 and 19, 2003
Household Hazardous Waste Events: Hazardous Chemicals from Households
- Household Hazardous Waste 1997: Household Hazardous Waste, October 25, 1997
- Household Hazardous Waste 1999: Household Hazardous Waste, October 16, 1999
- Household Hazardous Waste 2001: Household Hazardous Waste, September 29, 2001
- Household Hazardous Waste 2003: Household Hazardous Waste, October 4, 2003
- Household Hazardous Waste 2005 Fall: Household Hazardous Waste, October 15, 2005
- Household Hazardous Waste 2005 Spring: Household Hazardous Waste, May 7, 2005
- Household Hazardous Waste 2006: Household Hazardous Waste, October 14, 2006
- Household Hazardous Waste 2007: Household Hazardous Waste, October 13, 2007
- Household Hazardous Waste 2008: Household Hazardous Waste, October 4, 2008
- Household Hazardous Waste 2009: Household Hazardous Waste, October 3, 2009
- Household Hazardous Waste 2010: Household Hazardous Waste, October 16, 2010
- Household Hazardous Waste 2011: Household Hazardous Waste, October 22, 2011
- Household Hazardous Waste 2012: Household Hazardous Waste, October 27, 2012
- Household Hazardous Waste 2013: Household Hazardous Waste, October 26, 2013
- Household Hazardous Waste 2014: Household Hazardous Waste, October 25, 2014
- Household Hazardous Waste 2015: Household Hazardous Waste, October 24, 2015
- Household Hazardous Waste 2016: Household Hazardous Waste, October 22, 2016
- Household Hazardous Waste 2017: Household Hazardous Waste, October 21, 2017
- Household Hazardous Waste 2018: Household Hazardous Waste, October 20, 2018
Earth Week
After holding HHW events every other fall for four years, the County decided to try a spring Earth Week event in 2002 (EW02). The special targets for that event were all of the propane grill tanks that became obsolete starting April 1, 2002 due to fire safety issues. The County has partnered with NUCOR Auburn to also collect Freon appliances beginning in 2008.
Cayuga County Household Hazardous Waste Events: Non-Chemical
- Earth Week 2002: Electronics and Propane Tanks, April 27, 2002
- Earth Week 2003: Electronics and Propane Tanks, April 26, 2003
- Earth Week 2004: Electronics and Propane Tanks, May 1, 2004
- Earth Week 2006: Electronics and Propane Tanks, April 29, 2006
- Earth Week 2007: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, May 19, 2007
- Earth Week 2008: Electronics, Propane Tanks, Fluorescent Bulbs, and Freon Containing Appliances, May 17, 2008
- America Recycles Day 2008: America Recycles Day, November 15, 2008
- Earth Week 2009: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, May 19, 2009
- America Recycles Day 2009: Household Hazardous Waste, November 14, 2009
- Earth Week 2010 South: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Scipio, May 1, 2010
- Earth Week 1200 Main: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Natural Resource Center, May 15, 2010
- Fall E10: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Natural Resource Center, September 18, 2010
- America Recycles Day 2010: America Recycles Day, November 13, 2010 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 11 Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 14, 2011
- Fall E11: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Natural Resource Center, October 1, 2011
- America Recycles Day 2011: America Recycles Day, November 19, 2011 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 12 Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 12, 2012
- Fall E12: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Natural Resource Center, September 22, 2012
- America Recycles Day 2012: America Recycles Day, November 17, 2012 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 13: Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 18, 2013
- Fall E13: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Natural Resource Center, September 21, 2013
- America Recycles Day 2013: America Recycles Day, November 16, 2013 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 14: Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 31, 2014
- Fall E14: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, October 4, 2014
- America Recycles Day 2014: America Recycles Day, November 15, 2014 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 15: Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks, Fluorescent Bulbs, Recycle Textiles and Paper Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 30, 2015
- Fall E15: Electronics, Propane Tanks and Fluorescent Bulbs, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, September 26, 2015
- America Recycles Day 2015: America Recycles Day, November 14, 2015 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 2016: Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks, Fluorescent Bulbs, Recycle Textiles and Paper Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 21, 2016
- Fall 2016: Electronics, Propane Tanks, Fluorescent Bulbs and Document Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, September 24, 2016
- America Recycles Day 2016: America Recycles Day, November 19, 2016 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 2017: Spring: Electronics, Propane Tanks, Fluorescent Bulbs, Recycle Textiles and Paper Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, May 13, 2016
- Fall 2017: Electronics, Propane Tanks, Fluorescent Bulbs and Document Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, September 16, 2017
- America Recycles Day 2017: America Recycles Day, November 18, 2017 at City Landfill
- Earth Week 2018: Spring: Electronics, Fluorescent Bulbs, Recycle Textiles and Paper Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, June 2, 2018
- Fall 2018: Electronics, Fluorescent Bulbs, Textiles and Document Shredding, Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, October 6, 2018
- America Recycles Day 2018: America Recycles Day, November 17, 2018 at City Landfill
In all, we've safely removed over 2000 drums of chemicals, over 1.2 million pounds of electronics and over 6000 propane tanks from our community.
Electronics & Chemical Disposal
The County's Solid Waste Management Program Office also coordinates recycling of electronics and chemical disposal from County agencies. These activities have recycled an additional 100,000 pounds of electronics and numerous drums of hazardous materials.
In addition to our HHW events, we have also sponsored recycling events, particularly for tires. These fourteen events have safely removed over 77,500 tires and over 1000 pounds of lead from our community and our environment:
- Tires 2003: July 12, 2003
- Tires 2004: May 22, 2004
- Tires 2005: May 14, 2005
- Tires 2006: June 3, 2006
- Tires 2007: June 16, 2007
- Tires 2008: June 21, 2008
- Tires 2009: June 13, 2009
- Tires 2010: June 12, 2010
- Tires 2011: June 11, 2011
- Tires 2012: June 23, 2012
- Tires 2013: June 22, 2013
- Tires 2014: June 21, 2014
- Tires 2015: June 13, 2015
- Tires 2016: June 11, 2016
- Tires 2017: June 24, 2017
- Tires 2018: June 23, 2018