© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New York State Collects Over 32 Tons Of Chemical Waste

Large pile of hazardous waste barrels - some with smiley faces on the round end
Eric Timothy Carlson

State officials say New York's most recent hazardous waste cleanup effort netted more than 32 tons of chemicals and pesticides.

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation says two CleanSweepNY events in May collected nearly 76,000 pounds of chemicals from 93 participants in nine counties.

Included were more than 33,000 pounds of pesticides, over 15,000 pounds of school chemicals, 17,760 pounds of paint, 1,566 pounds of motor oil and other liquids, seven pounds of elemental mercury, 132 devices containing mercury, 345 aerosol containers, and approximately 5,000 plastic pesticide containers.

Since the program's inception 15 years ago, CleanSweepNY has collected and disposed of more than 1.73 million pounds of chemicals and over 879 pounds of elemental mercury.

© 2017 Associated Press

# # #

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
Related Content