by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Workspace: The City e-waste and hazardous waste facility
Most folks think the City consists primarily of City Hall and a few other buildings and offices scattered around Downtown.
However, there is a whole other world in an area on Commonwealth Avenue. There, you’ll find the City’s Fleet Management Division, Solid Waste and a handful of other divisions that don’t command the headlines, but are vital to the day-to-day operations of Jacksonville’s government and the basic services it provides.
One of those facilities is the City’s e-waste and hazardous waste drop-off facility. There’s an odd apocalyptic feel to the place. There are dozens and dozens of old TVs and computer monitors, barrels full of liquid — and highly-flammable — chemicals, metal storage containers with dry chemicals that would make Timothy McVeigh giddy, dead car batteries, paint, used fire extinguishers, gas tanks and broken household appliances.
“We even found two hand grenades,” said Roman Delrosario, who operates the facility with a staff of three others.
Delrosario said the grenades still had the pins in them and he’s proud of the fact that in his nine years there hasn’t been an explosion at a place that just smells of danger.
The Commonwealth Avenue location is the public drop-off location for all household and e-waste. Through the first several months each year, the City also sends its mobile collection units to six areas of town. There are four (see text box) collection dates left this year.
According to Chief of Solid Waste Fred Forbes, the City took in 89 tons of material last year with 35 tons coming from the mobile collection dates.
“We always have excellent customer participation during the Beaches and Mandarin Park mobile collection events,” he said. “We received mostly TVs and computer monitors.”
Forbes said the federal mandate last year that cable providers switch from analog to digital transmission caused a spike in the number of TVs brought to the facility since people were essentially forced to buy TVs with digital capacity.
Once the material gets to the facility, it’s stored until one of the City’s contractors hauls it away.
E-waste and hazardous waste mobile collection date
• March 6, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Blue Cypress Park, 4012 University Blvd. N.
• March 27, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Crystal Springs Park, 9800 Crystal Springs Rd.
• April 3, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Mandarin Park, 14780 Mandarin Rd.
• May 15, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Jacksonville Beach Public Works Department, Operations and Maintenance Facility parking lot on Shetter Avenue in Jacksonville Beach
Types of e-waste which may be brought to one of the mobile events or to the HHW Facility include: televisions, computer monitors, computer terminals, CPUs, keyboards, printers, scanners, stereo equipment, radios, VCRs, DVDs, camcorders, desk and mobile phones, pagers, power tools, small kitchen appliances (i.e. microwaves, toaster ovens), health and beauty appliances
These items are only collected from residences. Businesses should check for available recycling centers to arrange for the recycling and/or disposal of any e-wastes.
Household hazardous waste
Household hazardous wastes cannot be collected curbside with regular trash. Residents may bring these items, however, to one of the scheduled mobile collection events or they may take items to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 2675 Commonwealth Ave.
Types of waste which may be brought to one of the mobile events or to the HHW Facility include: paint, paint thinners and paint strippers, rechargeable batteries, photographic chemicals, thermometers and thermostats, drain cleaners, pool chemicals, aerosol cans, pesticides, antifreeze, fertilizer, acids, gun powder, ammunition and fireworks, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, including CFL light bulbs and 20-pound propane cylinders.
356-2466