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Monthly Archives: November 2011

Prescription drug collection boxes installed

 

New drug collection boxes were recently installed in police stations in cities across Franklin County.

Residents can now drop expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs into the secure, metal boxes located at the police stations 24 hours a day. Providing individuals with a secure and convenient way to dispose of prescription drugs will help prevent diversion and abuse and demonstrates sound environmental stewardship.

The Proper Disposal of Household Pharmaceutical Waste brochure has more information regarding drug disposal.  

If you would like more information regarding solid waste, please visit the Solid Waste Management Program website.

 

Or click for more information regarding:

 

Schedule of Local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events; Household Hazardous Waste ; Permitted Facilities; Scrap Tires and Illegal Dumping; e-cycle Missouri or Reduce. Reuse, Recycle. 

Posted on Nov 30, 2011

Cleaning up a mercury spill

At one time mercury was common in nearly every American household as a key component in such common household items as thermometers, thermostats and blood-pressure cuffs. As we have become more aware of the health effects of mercury, it has become less prevalent, but incidents of mercury spills still occur regularly. Cleaning up mercury spills correctly is very important for the health and safety of children and adults.

A small amount of mercury spilled on porous materials like cloth, carpet or wood, or trapped in a floor’s cracks and drains can expose everyone in the area for months or even years.

Mercury spills of any quantity can produce harmful vapors.

While the reportable quantity for mercury is 1 pound (approx. 2 tablespoons of liquid), a spill of any amount should be reported so that a technical individual can evaluate the spill and provide advice.

  • Never use a household vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury. This will create more mercury vapors and contaminate your vacuum cleaner.
  • Never use a broom on a mercury spill. Brooms scatter mercury droplets.
  • Never pour liquid mercury or mercury compounds down the drain. Mercury will accumulate in the S-trap of the drain and may continue to emit harmful vapors.
  • Never place mercury-laden fabrics in a washing machine. The washing machine may become contaminated. Dispose of clothing properly. For a household, this means double-bagging and placing in the garbage. For a business, this means disposal in accordance with state hazardous waste laws and regulations.

Cleaning Up Small Mercury Spills Fact Sheet

Household Compact Fluorescent Lamp Use and Disposal Fact Sheet – Information about cleaning up CFLs.

For technical advice and assistance, please contact the department’s 24-hour Environmental Emergency Response hotline at 573-634-2436 regarding any mercury spill.

 

Posted on Nov 29, 2011

Thanksgiving – No Time for Waste

The idea around Thanksgiving is to take a pause from our normal routines, give thanks for our bounty and share with others. Consider giving canned goods, fresh produce, or a turkey to a homeless shelter or other local kitchen helping to prepare meals for those less fortunate during this holiday season.  Make plates of leftovers and take some to elderly neighbors who will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Perhaps there is a family near you struggling to make ends meet who would be happy to receive some extra food.

 

Many of us prepare too much and end up wasting and throwing away food. Half of the food we make on Thanksgiving ends up in the garbage, according to Green Living Ideas. Roughly one third of the world’s food supply approximately 1.3 billion tons produced for human consumption annually, is wasted or lost, according to a study commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

 

There are ways to either use Thanksgiving leftovers or save them for a later date. Turkey and mashed potatoes may be frozen. Use cranberries to make muffins or a spread for sandwiches. Leftover rolls can be frozen and used to make croutons, breadcrumbs or stuffing for other recipes. Throw a turkey carcass into a stew pot and make some stock for soup and freeze for use on another day. Turkey, green beans and corn are great ingredients for a turkey pot pie. Look for a new, sweet potato-turkey hash recipe.

 

Enjoy the day and share the bounty with those around you. Happy Thanksgiving from the Solid Waste Management Program!   

 

 

Posted on Nov 22, 2011

Environmental Emergency Response acquires Pack Cat LC

On Oct. 20, the Environmental Emergency Response (EER) Section acquired a new piece of equipment in their arsenal to use when responding to address any chemical, petroleum or other material spilled on the Mississippi River that may impact the public health, safety and environment.

23-foot Munson Pack Cat LC

The program’s new 23-foot Munson Pack Cat LC is a transport catamaran landing craft with a bow door and twin 150 Yamaha motors. Two motors are required on this boat due to the tunnel hull catamaran design that offers more stability and shallow draft than the mono hull. The boat was acquired through a port security grant for the department to use and to also assist response agencies in the St. Louis Port area.

The department’s emergency responders are the department’s front line of defense to significant and imminent hazardous substance releases that impact public safety and the environment.  Thirteen duty officers monitor the statutorily mandated Spill Reporting Hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, on a rotating basis.  Ten staff (in addition to the 13 duty officers) are stationed at six different locations throughout Missouri.  State on-scene coordinators conduct operations out of these offices and are dispatched via the 24-hour spill reporting hotline by a duty officer in Jefferson City.

Munson Pack Cat LC with bow door open

On average, the EER Section receives more than 1,500 incident calls and responds to nearly 450 hazardous substance emergencies each year. The EER Section staff includes hazardous material technicians in Jefferson City, St. Louis, Poplar Bluff, Kansas City, Macon and Springfield who respond when an environmental emergency occurs.

You may report an environmental concern online or call the 24-hour Environmental Emergency Response Hotline at 573-634-2436 to report an environmental emergency.

Visit the Environmental Emergency Response or Environmental Services Program Website for more information.

 

 

Posted on Nov 22, 2011

Nov. 5 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event – Chillicothe

The City of Chillicothe and Livingston County is holding a Household Hazardous Waste, Electronic (E-Waste) and Scrap Tire collection event on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The event is for residential use only. No business or commercial waste will be accepted.

  • 9 a.m. until noon – Nov. 5, 2011
    County Road and Bridge Barn
    904 Gilbert Street
    Chillicothe

For more information, please contact: Ann Hamilton at (660) 359-5636, ext. 20

The fee for each residential television is $10.  The fee for computer system mice, keyboards, copy machines, printers and fax machines is $5 each. There is no charge for miscellaneous residentially generated electronics such as stereos and phones.  There is also no charge for household and rechargeable batteries, cell phones, intact car batteries, and ink cartridges (with no broken or cracked casings).

Appliances are limited to washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, ovens, microwaves, freezers, refrigerators, air conditioners, and hot water heaters. The fee for each appliance collected will be $5. Scrap metal will be collected free of charge.

Tires must be clean, free of debris and rimless when submitted. Four standard tires will be accepted per licensed driver without fee. Above the four-tire limit, additional charges are as follows:

$1 each for standard passenger tires (or smaller)

$4 each for oversized tires (sizes being 36 inches and above)

and $10 each for tractor tires.

If you would like more information regarding solid waste, please visit the Solid Waste Management Program website.  

 

Or click for more information regarding:

 

Schedule of Local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events; Household Hazardous Waste ; Permitted Facilities; Scrap Tires and Illegal Dumping; e-cycle Missouri or Reduce. Reuse, Recycle.

Posted on Nov 04, 2011

Northwest Missouri, Missouri River flood response

On Oct. 14, the Environmental Emergency Response Section (EER), the Buchanan County Emergency Management Director, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) conducted a flyover of the Missouri River.  The primary mission of the flyover was to identify any abandoned or orphaned hazardous materials containers.  This information gathering event will enable EER to develop a reconnaissance plan to retrieve any containers in and around the floodway.  The MSHP provided a fixed wing aircraft for the flight.  On Oct. 19-20, EER On-Scene Coordinators from the Kansas City Regional area conducted ground reconnaissance of the containers identified during the Oct. 14 flight.  Less than fifteen containers have been identified as being left behind by the flood waters.  The containers are of sizes varying from small propane cylinders up to a 10,000-gallon underground tank.  The containers are mostly empty.  EER will be working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on recovery and disposal of these orphaned containers
The department urges citizens in flood-prone areas to secure propane tanks properly and mark the tanks to help identify them and avoid safety problems prior to flooding. 

Information regarding reducing the impact of flooding regarding propane tanks and agricultural chemicals is available in the department’s fact sheets:

Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Propane Tanks

 and Reducing the Impact of Flooding – Agricultural Chemicals

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the department’s spill line at 573-634-2436.

 For more information, please visit the Environmental Services Program web site. 

 Visit the department’s Natural Disaster Resources for more information regarding disasters and disaster resources.

Posted on Nov 03, 2011

Environmental Emergency Response to Howard County trailer fire

The Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Emergency Response Section was called out Oct. 25 to a Howard County trailer home fire after several first responders took ill while fighting the fire.

The department’s 24-hour environmental emergency hotline was contacted shortly before 3 a.m. by Brian Kunze, Howard County Emergency Management Director, regarding a fire at a house trailer located in southern rural Howard County.  According to local officials, several responders may have suffered health effects from potential exposure to unknown materials at the scene and required medial attention.  

Mr. Kunze requested assistance with determining the presence of any hazardous materials on-site and to stabilize the scene as necessary before local and state officials continue with their fire investigation. Department responders from two regional offices were dispatched to the scene to assist with site characterization.

 

The department also contacted the Missouri National Guard’s 7th Civil Support Team, based in Jefferson City, and requested them to respond with EER staff and provide support.  Hazmat personnel set up a staging area in New Franklin to develop and implement an incident action plan.

 

Although the investigation into the fire is ongoing, the hazmat personnel have completed their initial survey and there can be no conclusions drawn at this time to identify what caused the symptoms observed in the first responders.  The Fire Marshall continues to investigate the cause of the fire.  

 

On average, the EER Section receives more than 1,500 incident calls and responds to nearly 450 hazardous substance emergencies each year. For more information on the program, visit Environmental Emergency Response.

For more information regarding hazardous waste, chemicals and debris associated with the production of methamphetamine visit Special Projects.  

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please contact the spill line at 573-634-2436.

Posted on Nov 01, 2011

Documentary Explains Ozark Landforms

The Ozarks Resource Center based in West Plains, is a nonprofit organization that promotes learning and hands-on education about the watersheds and environmental issues in south central Missouri.    In 2010, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources provided the center with a $10,000 grant to create the documentary Karst in the Ozarks.   

This 18-minute documentary explains how landforms in the Ozarks developed over time resulting in numerous rivers, caves and springs. The video also demonstrates how Ozark groundwater is vulnerable to pollution from nonpoint source pollution such as stormwater runoff.

The video, aimed at middle and high school students, covers basic information about Karst features, such as sinkholes, caves and losing streams, and shows how human interactions within a Karst system affects water quality.  The video also outlines how to avoid nonpoint source pollution in a Karst environment and discusses cave species like the endangered Ozark cavefish, gray bat, and Tumbling Creek cave snail.

The video can be viewed on the Bryant Watershed Education Project website at   www.watersheds.org/earth/karstvideo.html.

Posted on Nov 01, 2011