Newton County residents brought their hazardous waste materials to the Newton County Show Barn Saturday as the county held Amnesty Day, a grant-funded initiative to give residents a chance to get rid of dangerous materials without paying a fee.
Javon McCloud, who helped load residents’ materials onto a truck, said the wastes accepted were not allowed to be put out with regular trash pickup. The hazardous household wastes included old paint, solvents, kerosene, used motor oil, cleaning chemicals and tires.
McCloud said the waste from Amnesty Day would be taken to a collection point in South Carolina, where it would be sorted with waste from other municipalities’ Amnesty Day collections. Once sorted, the material would be disposed of in a safe, environmentally friendly way.
Cindy Horton, solid waste clerk for Newton County, said the county workers had a good flow of people coming to drop off items they couldn’t put out with the trash.
“We’ve gotten a lot of tires,” she said.
Amnesty Day, however, was not just a day to throw away old junk. It was a celebration of a clean, safe community. And, like any good celebration, there was plenty of food.
Armed with tongs and a pair of thick gloves, Supervisor Kenneth Harris manned a large barbeque grill, cooking up deer sausage, chicken and barbeque ribs for residents and workers alike.
Horton said residents who’ve never tried Harris’ cooking were in for a treat.
“He really good,” she said.
Newton County’s Hazardous Household Materials Amnesty Day was funded through a $15,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Equality. The Solid Waste Assistance Grant is available statewide to cities and counties to help with disposal and recycling efforts. For more information about the Solid Waste Assistance Grant, visit mdeq.ms.gov.
