Case Study: Midwest Regional Government Agency achieves safe, sustainable collection of over 22 million pounds of household hazardous waste with Veolia North America

Veolia Handles Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events

Midwest Regional Government Agency, which provides water reclamation and flood management for about 1.1 million people across 28 communities, needed a safe, compliant way to collect and dispose of household hazardous wastes (e.g., nail polish, pool chemicals, mercury thermostats, pepper spray) without contaminating the environment. The agency partnered with Veolia North America to stage and operate household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events and a regional HHW management program.

Veolia North America runs the collection sites, sorts and processes materials, and pursues recycling or beneficial reuse (for example bulked paint used as kiln fuel), recycling or reusing 60–70% of incoming materials. Over more than 20 years Veolia North America has helped the agency collect over 22 million pounds of household chemicals since 1997—averaging over 1 million pounds per year—substantially reducing hazardous waste in routine municipal streams while keeping the program cost to residents at about $4 per household annually.