M.e.t. Director Michael Patton is gaining support early in a push for a permanent household hazardous waste facility in Tulsa.
Patton said one could be built for around $4 million. TARE board Chairman Paul White said it would allow citizens to dispose of chemicals and other waste year-round rather than every six months at collection events.
"I would definitely support the concept — we need to look at the specifics of a proposal and make sure it's affordable and doable, but as a concept, I'm fully supportive of it," White said.
Patton presented the idea this week to the TARE board planning committee and the Tulsa area local emergency planning committee.
Paul Ator is Tulsa Fire Department’s hazmat coordinator. He said from insecticides to paint, people generally buy more chemicals than they need.
"When people have chemicals in abundance and we do have a fire situation, it does compromise the safety of our firefighters going into those structures by having to address those chemicals on scene," Ator said.
Pitching the facility this week, Patton said 97 percent of area households dispose of chemicals improperly. The M.e.t. hosts two collection events a year.
