Benton County Cleanup is a Success!

by: Angela Danovi, Program Director of Beaver LakeSmart

On Saturday, October 10, 2015 Beaver LakeSmart partnered with Benton County Environmental for the annual fall cleanup.  Established back in 2006, the Benton County Cleanup began as a means to accept household wastes from residents at no charge.  Over the years the Benton County Cleanup has grown to be an important event in promoting responsible disposal of waste and materials generated at individuals’ residences in Benton County.

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A worker with the household hazardous waste team assists with collecting chemicals and paints for disposal and recycling

This year’s fall cleanup saw 917 loads of materials dropped off across the three cleanup sites in Bentonville, Decatur, and Garfield.

Fall 2015 Materials Collected:

  • 1294 tires
  • 752 pounds of batteries
  • 24 dumpsters of bulky waste
  • 40,000 pounds of old electronics
  • 1 semi truck load of household hazardous waste
  • 4,500 gallons of latex paint
  • 20,000 pounds of metal

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Household Hazardous Waste

Educating residents on the proper disposal of household hazardous wastes has been an important part of the Beaver LakeSmart program.  You can access our household hazardous waste information here.  As part of our participation in the annual cleanup, Angela Danovi, program director  of Beaver LakeSmart assisted with collecting over 250 gallons of used oils that will be recycled.

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Angela Danovi, program director of Beaver LakeSmart, assists with collecting used oils during the fall 2015 Benton County Cleanup

Yes, we cleaned up the side of the container with special wipes to keep the oil from going on the ground!

Latex Paint Management

In addition to our participation in the cleanup, this year we had the opportunity to provide education to each of the 917 attendees on managing latex paint. Each attendee received a flyer that promoted the new convenience center program beginning in 2016 and on the back they received information about managing latex paint at their home. This was an important informational piece because paint is often improperly disposed of and can adversely affect water quality and the environment.

Download your own copy of the latex paint disposal flyer here.

Steps for Latex Paint Disposal outline

New Convenience Centers in 2016

As Benton County has continued to grow and demand for the cleanup has grown, Benton County and Benton County Environmental have been looking for ways to serve more people more often in the county.  Beginning in 2016, the Benton County Solid Waste District and the Benton County Environmental Division are joining forces to bring the citizens of Benton County a better alternative to the twice-yearly cleanup events.  A new pilot program will begin in Benton County through the convenience centers.  It is the goal of the pilot program to better serve the needs of the citizens and better utilize taxpayer funds by making recycling and proper waste disposal more accessible and in turn reduce the amount of waste dumped on county roads, dumped into waterways, or put into landfills.  Best of all, the convenience centers will be completely free for residents to use!

Convenience Center Information

The convenience centers will collect all of the same materials as the cleanup events but with 4 advantages:

  1. 5 days a week/40 hours a week availability
  2. 3 locations
  3. No long lines!
  4. Free disposal for Benton County residents

Convenience Center Locations:

Rogers Recycling Center at 2300 N. Arkansas St., Rogers, AR  72756

Siloam Springs Transfer Station at 1108 E. Ashley, Siloam Springs, AR 72761

Benton County Solid Waste District at 5702 Brookside Rd., Bentonville, AR 72712

Final details on the new convenience centers are being completed at this time.  For more information about this program call 479-271-1083.

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