In its 17th annual collection day, industries in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and St. James parishes will host the annual Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day April 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. According to NOLA, the collection sites will be in the Jerusalem Shriners Hall parking lot in St. Charles Parish, 1940 Ormond Boulevard in Destrehan, and the New Wine Ministries parking lot, 1921 Airline Highway, in St. John Parish.
The goal of the annual collection day is to provide resident households an opportunity to properly dispose or recycle materials that are inappropriate for curbside pickup. Residents are encouraged to clean out hazardous materials from utility rooms and sheds to properly dispose of hazardous waste on April 18. Items such as tires, paint, electronics, acids, aerosols, and major appliances will be accepted. Events like this are important for the greater New Orleans area because they encourage responsible discard of dangerous pollutants and waste that cause water, soil, and air contamination. Exposure to toxic chemicals can cause respiratory illness and injury, neurological disorders and many forms of cancer.
Environmental Injuries in Louisiana
All too often, it is local residents, landowners, and businesses that illegally dispose of hazardous waste because they do not want to pay the cost to dispose of the materials correctly. To illustrate, earlier last month in the span of a few days, two men pled guilty to the illegal dumping of waste and diesel fuel in violations of the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act. On February 4, an Orleans Parish man pled guilty to illegally disposing of tires in Algiers. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail. On February 9, a Zachary man was sentenced for a fine of $5,000 for illegally dumping gasoline and diesel fuel, which contaminated the soil.
These are just two instances are just two of the many pending cases the Louisiana DEQ has brought. While EPA works with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to safeguard the environment, it cannot always police the hundreds of illegal chemical releases that occur annually, and track down every landowner or small business owner who decides to illegally dump chemicals into their own environment.
Get Legal Help
Harrell & Nowak represents people who have been injured by the pollution and release of toxic chemicals in the air, soil, and water. If you have been injured by exposure to an environmental hazard or dangerous chemical in the air, contact our New Orleans injury attorneys today at (504) 522-7885 for a free consultation.