Celebrate Earth Day with the Dearborn County Recycling Center

A special recycling event will be held on April 22.

(Aurora, Ind.) - The Dearborn County Recycling Center will be hosting a special recycling event in honor of Earth Day, on Saturday, April 22, from 9:00 am to Noon for residents to recycle electronics and household hazardous waste, as well as dispose of unwanted prescription medications. Recycling saves energy, reduces pollution, and conserves natural resources.

Dearborn County residents can bring general recyclables, non-alkaline batteries, light bulbs, electronics, appliances, tires, and household hazardous waste to be recycled. Fees apply for TVs ($15 each), freon appliances ($10 each), and tires (fees vary based on size). All other items are free to recycle. Fees are payable in cash or check only. Recycling services are for Dearborn County residents only.

Household Hazardous Waste, or HHW, is any unusable or unwanted product found in your home, garage, shed or barn that can be hazardous to plants, animals, humans or the environment if it is not disposed of correctly. HHW are items such as paint, garden chemicals, automotive chemicals, or other chemicals that contain a warning label. Almost all products that are considered HHW will carry signal words on their labels to alert consumers to potential hazards. These signal words include “poison”, “danger”, “warning”, and “caution”, all of which are used to indicate the level of toxicity of the product. Hazardous household products should never go in your regular trash, down the drain, on the ground, or in a burn barrel.

The Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department will be at the DCRC to collect unused prescription medications for safe disposal. Besides Earth Day, April 22 is National Drug Take Back Day. Prescription medications should not be thrown in the trash or flushed down the toilet. Septic systems and wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals from water. Medications left in cabinets can lead to accidental overdose.

The Dearborn County Health Department will be available for residents to receive free sharps containers, resource kits, blood pressure checks, and glucose checks at the event. Sharps containers should be used to dispose of needles. They reduce the risk of needle sticks, cuts, and punctures from loose sharps.

The Dearborn County Recycling Center Drive-Thru is located at 10700 Prospect Ln, Aurora, IN 47001. Dearborn County residents can also recycle all of items listed above during normal business hours of Monday-Friday from 9:00 am-4:00 pm and Wednesdays from 9:00 am- 6:00 pm. For more information about items that are recyclable in Dearborn County, please visit www.dearborncountyrecycles.com or call 812-926-9963.