Pictures of Regional "Good Riddance Days"

"Good Riddance Day 2005" Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection
It rained.  This did not stop Westonites from coming out to safely dispose of household hazardous wastes...at 11am, 180 cars est. had come - more expected!!!  Final totals to be obtained from the Town of Weston later this week.  There was an approx. 30 car back up before it started at 8:30am, and 15 cars came immediately upon the opening...steady stream until 11am.  From experience, we know that there will be a last minutes rush, so this may be a record EVEN with the rain!!!

"Good Riddance Day 2004"  Regional Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Town                 Full      Half     Total Cars
Westport             23        4        27

New Canaan          3        1         4
Wilton                   7        1         8
Norwalk                7         2        9
Stamford                1        0         1
Fairfield                 1        0         1
Greenwich             1         0        1
Weston              160       59     219

Total                  203      67      270

"Good Riddance Day 2003"
This year it rained on the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day parade.  Amidst the rain drops and busy activity of a typical Weston Spring Saturday, a most professional regional hazardous waste day carried on, supervised by most personable Weston DPW guys.  Did the weather stop Westonites from doing their civic duty?  No!  As reported by Clean Harbors' (out of Bristol, CT) manager Simon Szmigiel, they were overwhelmed!  Next year he plans to bring more staff, have two (2) bays of two places each for drop offs (instead of one).  They underestimated Weston!  Coming to "Good Riddance Day" Saturday, April 26, 2003, were 223 cars (95% from Weston) and equivalent 600 households-worth of "stuff" (usual HHW Day estimate would be closer to 400--but we came LOADED).  In fact, although the average wait was 15 minutes, when the League Observer dropped by (10:30am and 12:30pm) the lines were longer than that.

No special poisons showed up this year, but one Westporter came with his whole street's collection pieces.  First Selectman Woody Bliss, it is reported by DPW staff on hand, gave this truckload of material the green light on Green-Up Day.  "We want to get this material into the safe disposal cycle as quick as we can" Woody said.  "We don't want it ending up on the side of the road, ultimately leaching into the groundwater."



"Good Riddance Day 2002"
It was beautiful and sunny, if cool, for 2002 Good Riddance Day in Weston.  We surprised the Regional Hazardous Waste crew by showing up in force--236 (very few people from out of town--some from Westport, New Canaan and Wilton).  Helen Speck, George Guidera, Hal Shupack and current First Selectman Woody Bliss showed up with some "product"--they all came @10:30, after the big early rush.  Al, from DPW, told the League that the lines went almost to Old Hyde Road in the beginning, and they opened up fifteen minutes early as a result (to accommodate "customers"). 

HISTORY...
2001 First Household Hazardous Waste Collection Regionalized...Weston Coordinates GREEN UP DAY with the regional collection...

April 28, 2001 (a) shows the first use of DPW Garage site--waiting for its first regional collection; April 27, 2002 (b) was also a regional "good riddance day" in Weston (at the Department of Public Works Garage, too).  NOTE:  In original photo for this image, B. Altman box and Nikon camera equipment box identifiable..."Good Riddance Day 2003" was wet:  It never stopped raining, but the turnout April 26, 2003 (c)overwhelmed the professionals!  NOTE:  barely two cars could  fit on the plastic sheeting, and the number of personnel from Clean Harbors seemed lower than in past years...explaining long waits?  Please note that Clean Harbors recognizes that they were not prepared for the volume of materials received.  April 24, 2004 (d) CLEAN HARBORS SHOWED IT HAD LEARNED - AND HAD FLEXIBLE LINES (i.e. 4 bays with environmental cover and extra horizontal storage) early on when they were getting a car per minute!  Great job!