Florida County Wins Award for Outreach

Alachua County's Hazardous Waste Collection Program, a service of the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department, was awarded the Best Education/ Public Outreach Program Award by the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association at its 23rd Annual Hazardous Materials Management Conference in Burlington, Vt., last month.

The association, established in November 1993, is dedicated to pollution prevention and reducing the hazardous constituents entering municipal waste streams from households, small businesses, and other entities that may be exempt from local, regional or national regulations.

Kurt Seaburg, Alachua County Hazardous Waste coordinator, manages the disposal, collection, public outreach, and education activities of the county's hazardous waste collection program.

"We are extremely proud that Alachua County's public education and outreach efforts to promote pollution prevention, hazardous waste reduction, and proper hazardous waste management from households and small business have been nationally recognized by this NAHMMA award", said Chris Bird , Alachua County Environmental Protection director.

The program provides convenient services to the citizens of Alachua County in proper management and disposal of various hazardous wastes including, automotive products, household pesticides and chemicals, paints, discarded electronic products including televisions and computers, and unwanted medicines.