Despite sweltering heat one day and heavy rainfall the next, Central Coast residents still took the opportunity to rid their homes of unwanted chemical products, thanks to the Household Chemical CleanOut events hosted by Central Coast Council.

More than 100 tonnes of chemicals were dropped off at CleanOut drop-off locations at the Gosford Showground and the Council Long Jetty Depot on the last weekend of February and first weekend of March, respectively.

Council Unit Manager Waste Services and Business Development, Andrew Pearce, said the results showed the community’s commitment to disposing of problem wastes responsibly.

“In total, 2988 vehicles drove through the gates of both locations, dropping off more than 104 tonnes of chemicals over the two weekends,” Mr Pearce said.

“Thanks to the co-operation of residents both events ran smoothly with no chemical spills and the average time on site for motorists was under five minutes.

“Chemicals collected will be reprocessed where possible and disposed of safely where they cannot.”

Household Chemical CleanOuts are held bi-annually. The second event for 2018 is expected to be scheduled around September, with dates to be confirmed shortly.

“These events have been running in the region for over 15 years, so it great to see our community is still embracing the responsible disposal of chemicals,” Mr Pearce added.

“Over the years more than 1500 tonnes of chemicals have been dropped off by Central Coast residents.

“This has potentially saved hundreds of tonnes of hazardous chemicals being poured down drains or being placed in red lidded bins that would otherwise contaminate our waterways and landfill sites.”

The free collections are part of the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded by the waste levy.

For more information on the Household Chemical CleanOut visit cleanout.com.au