Detox your home. Image: Sustainability Victoria

Murrindindi Shire Council is urging residents to make use of Sustainability Victoria’s free ‘Detox Your Home’ service to dispose of unwanted household and garden chemicals.

A media release today (Friday) from the Shire says:

Do you have forgotten containers of chemicals sitting in the cupboard under the sink or on a shelf in the shed? Murrindindi Shire Council is urging residents to make use of Sustainability Victoria’s free ‘Detox Your Home’ service to dispose of unwanted household and garden chemicals.

The ‘Detox Your Home’ program will be operating in Seymour on Saturday 2 June 2018. The program provides north-east Victorian residents with a safe, free and easy-to-use option for disposing of their common household chemicals.

The chemical drop-off program aims to reduce the risk of poisoning, environmental pollution and bushfire hazards, as well as improve recycling rates.

Murrindindi Shire Infrastructure and Waste Portfolio Councillor Eric Lording said this is a wonderful opportunity for residents to improve safety in their homes.

“It’s not just the risk domestic chemicals pose to children and pets, but the risks associated with discarding these products through normal waste disposal means.

“It is dangerous to throw chemical products out with your regular rubbish collection as the products could explode, ignite, leak or mix with other chemicals. Likewise, it’s dangerous to pour them down the drain as they would pollute our waterways, which would in turn harm animals and vegetation, contaminate our drinking water supply and make rivers and beaches unsafe for swimming.

“So, gather up your unwanted solvents, poisons, fertilisers, cleaning and car care products and drop them off in Seymour on Saturday 2 June. It’s worth the effort for the safety of your loved ones, plus you’ll be protecting the environment,” Cr Lording said.

“Dry paint cans, most batteries, and fluorescent lights, which are less toxic than household chemicals, aren’t accepted by this service but they can be disposed of throughout the year at Murrindindi Shire’s Resource Recovery Centres.

“Please keep in mind, the ‘Detox Your Home’ service is for household chemicals only. Chemicals used for farm, business or industrial processes cannot be accepted. And while there is no restriction on the number or volume of household items you can bring, but the maximum acceptable weight or size of any single container is 20 kilograms or 20 litres.
“It’s best to bring your chemicals in their original containers so the experts can handle them safely. For the same reason decanting on site isn’t permitted and all chemicals will be taken in the container they arrive in,” Cr Lording added.
To view the full list of acceptable and not accepted items see www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/detoxyourhome

This ‘Detox Your Home’ event is delivered by Sustainability Victoria in collaboration with Mitchell Shire Council and will be running at Seymour Works Depot (entry via Pollard Street), from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, June 2, 2018. No pre-booking or registration is required.

Other ‘Detox Your Home’ events will be happening in Swan Hill and Dandenong, so Seymour is the closest option for Murrindindi Shire residents.