As part of the Great American Clean-up, the Bradley County affiliate of Keep America Beautiful will again partner with four longtime community sponsors to host the annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, April 7.

Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tri-State Exhibition Center near Exit 20.

All Bradley County residents are eligible to use this free service.

The event’s sponsoring partners again will include the Bradley County mayor’s office, Santek Environmental, Cleveland Utilities, Tri-State Exhibition Center and KAB. The event is made possible through the combined efforts of the sponsors, volunteers and $50,000 in funding through the county mayor’s office.

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day program is designed to assure that certain hazardous wastes are disposed of properly because many are dangerous to the environment. With this program, these toxic wastes can be removed from the home safely.

Accepted items include:

- Automotive and marine products, such as oil and fuel additives, grease and rust solvents, naval jelly, carburetor and fuel injector cleaners, starter fluids, body putty, antifreeze/coolant, and gasoline;

- Home maintenance and improvement products, such as oil-based paint, used strippers and thinners, adhesives, driveway sealant, roofing tar, wallpaper remover, and stains and varnishes;

- Home lawn and garden products, such as pesticides, fertilizers, and wood preservatives;

- Electronics, such as CPUs, TVs (console televisions must be dismantled), monitors, printers and keyboards;

- And miscellaneous items, such as pool chemicals, photo processing chemicals, medicines/drugs, aerosols/compressed gas, mercury thermostats and thermometers, and fluorescent tubes.

Items that cannot be accepted include:

- Medical and biological products such as needles, infectious wastes, dead animals, any waste from a doctor’s office, clinic or veterinarian’s office;

- Explosives and ammunition products such as fireworks, military ordinance, gun powder and ammunition;

- Radioactive products such as smoke detectors or radium paint;

- Business and institutional waste products such as from any business — large or small, any college or university, any school, any hospital, any home improvement or painting contractor, or any agribusiness;

- And miscellaneous items, such as empty containers of any kind, automotive gas tanks, laboratory chemicals and cooking oil.

Used oils, antifreeze and lead batteries are currently recycled free of charge at the Bradley County Landfill year-round.

At last year’s event, 792 area households participated, resulting in a total of 45 junk cars removed or recycled, 16,540 pounds of plastic bottles recycled, 1,192 pounds of aluminum recycled, 228,500 pounds of newsprint or mixed paper, 13,038 tires, 1,897 pounds of batteries recycled, 2,790 pounds of cardboard, 29,720 pounds of glass, 2,273 pounds of electronics, 2,925 gallons of waste oil, and 14,941 appliances.

Joanne Maskew, KAB executive director, recognized the Bradley County mayor’s office for its leadership and commitment to environmental goals by providing $50,000 for the hazardous waste collection event.

“We couldn’t do it without all their help,” Maskew said during a Wednesday session of the KAB board of directors.

For additional information, contact Maskew at the Cleveland/Bradley KAB office at 559-3307 or by email at jmaskew@cityofclevelandtn.com; or, call Cheryl Dunson at 303-7101.

In other business:

- KAB is looking for additional ways to raise needed revenue to continue its programs, grants and fundraisers. A flea market is currently planned for later this year. Volunteers are needed.

- KAB is hoping to receive more grants to help fund its many programs, including possibly applying for the educational portion of the Tennessee Department of Transportation Litter Grant.

- The Urbane Road Recycling Center has extended its Saturday hours. It will now be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

- The Treasure N Trash litter pickup behind the Coca-Cola Bottling plant had to be canceled due to rain and will be rescheduled.

- Homestead Lawn and Tractor Co. (a John Deere distributor) on APD 40 earned the Neighborhood Beautification Award for March. For April, the award winner will be Volunteer Energy Cooperative on Georgetown Road; for May, the new bowling alley at the former BI-LO grocery building on Keith Street; for June, Harting, Bishop and Arrendale on Williams Way; and for July, the Spring Creek development on APD 40.

- So far this year, as part of the annual Great American Cleanup event, 212 students have planted sunflower seeds, with 525 or more students who will plant their own sunflower seeds before the program ends this year.

- The White Glove Award was given to Trousdale School.

- The next KAB meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on April 25, at the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce. Meetings are open to the public.