Sustainability Victoria’s Detox Your Home initiative has collected 30.6 tonnes of chemicals in 2018.
The program encourages locals to safely dispose of household, shed and garage chemicals at collection sites around Victoria.
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Residents of the Melton and Cardinia Shire handed in 3.3 tonnes of chemicals for disposal in April, with a collective 69 tonnes being collected throughout 2017.
Occupational Health and Safety professional Sharann Johnson who lives on the Mornington Peninsula used the Detox Your Home program.
“Detox Your Home is a great program that helps you remove old chemicals and reduce hazards in your home to protect both your family and the environment,” Ms Johnson said.
“While homes don’t have the same quantities of chemicals that a business might, most have a wide range of products which can be flammable or aggressively corrosive or toxic like garden insecticides.
“There can be serious consequences if there’s a fire, spill or if they’re accidentally handled by children, and they can harm the environment if tipped down the drain or on the ground,” she said.
Sustainability Victoria Chief Executive Officer Stan Krpan said Detox Your Home collection showed that people were sitting on an incredible amount of chemicals and that disposing of them through the program meant they’d be disposed of, or recycled, in the most appropriate way.
“You don’t have to live in a municipality in which a Detox Your Home Collection is being held, however bookings are essential for some sites,” said Mr Krpan.
There are restrictions on the types and volumes of material that can be taken to Detox Your Home events.
Collections in May and June will be at:
- Wantirna South – 5 May
- Daylesford – 12 May
- Wangaratta – 12 May
- Altona – 9 May
- Swan Hill – 26 May
- Seymour – 2 June
- Dandenong -16 June