Town of Cochrane says flammable liquids should not go in household garbage

The Town of Cochrane issued a hazardous-waste reminder on July 7, telling residents not to put solvents, paints, fuels, gun wash products or other flammable liquids in regular household garbage. The town said residents can drop off these materials in a designated hazardous-waste collection bin at the Public Works Office, 92 Second Street, at no charge.

The town warned that disposing of flammable or hazardous materials in regular waste can create fire risks during collection, transportation and processing.

A poster included with the town’s notice said a fire recently occurred at a recycling facility while a load of materials collected from the Cochrane landfill was being unloaded. The poster said preliminary observations suggested an improperly disposed chemical substance originating from material collected at the landfill may have contributed to the ignition.

The notice and poster both list examples of items that should not go in regular garbage, including paints, solvents, fuels, flammable liquids and gun wash products.

For residents disposing of empty containers through regular garbage or recycling, the town said containers should be completely empty and contain no residual flammable liquid.

The town posted the reminder on its website as “Notice to Residents – Hazardous waste disposal reminder.”