Countywide : 2nd ‘Toxic Roundup’ Takes in Twice the Trash

The county’s second “toxic roundup” July 13 brought in almost twice the volume of toxic wastes collected during the first roundup.

About 700 cars streamed through county Transfer Station No. 3 in Anaheim, as residents dropped off old paint, paint thinner, household cleaners and other materials, said Karen Peters, senior staff member with the county Hazardous Materials Program.

Rubber-suited workers filled 569 55-gallon drums with the materials, which also included some cyanide, arsenic and the federally outlawed pesticide DDT, she said.

During the first roundup, April 20 in Huntington Beach, chemical wastes delivered in 582 cars filled 292 drums, Peters said.

The waste was taken to the Casmalia landfill in Santa Barbara County.

The Huntington Beach roundup cost between $50,000 and $60,000, but the larger collection in Anaheim will cost the county about twice that amount, Peters said.

Peters said Thursday that she does not think that the June 22 fire at an Anaheim pesticide warehouse, which forced evacuation of 7,500 people, caused the larger collection. Even before the fire at the Larry Fricker Co., officials had been receiving calls from about 50 people each week, asking about waste disposal, she said.

Officials are planning a third roundup in the south county in October. For information on hazardous materials, residents may call the public information line, (714) 834-8892.