Dispose of household chemicals thanks to annual program

A FREE and safe disposal site for chemicals is available to the greater Geelong community this weekend as part of Sustainability Victoria’s annual Detox your Home program.

Residents are encouraged to collect unwanted household and garden chemicals and products ahead of the event this Saturday at the Corio Operations Centre on Anakie Road.

Now in its 27th year, the program has helped divert 10,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle materials and 7,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals like weed killer, paints, solvents, cleaning chemicals and cosmetic products from ending up in landfill or tipped down drains where it can pollute water supplies and poison waterways.

Victorians bring an average 23kg of combined waste for disposal and two thirds report that the material has been in their possession for over five years.

Detox your Home events are staffed by expert chemists who identify and sort the chemicals for safe transport back to a licenced facility in Melbourne where they are processed for reuse or safe disposal.

Collected chemicals are processed and either recovered or recycled where possible, or if they cannot be reused in any way, they are safely disposed of.

The disposal site is available to Surf Coast and Bellarine residents also, and is open Saturday, August 13 between 9am and 2pm at the Corio Operations Centre, 299 Anakie Road, Geelong.

To register for the event visit eventbrite.com.au/e/detox-your-home-geelong-registration-362784075937.

A full list of accepted items is available at sustainability.vic.gov.au/DetoxYourHome.