April 2024

With the availability of more injectable pharmaceuticals for at-home use, Monroe County is seeing an increase in sharps, syringes, needles, and lancets in waste streams.

Proper disposal of sharps and syringes is critically important for the protection of the environment and the community, and these items present specific and significant hazards to waste and recycling employees.

There are several simple steps to properly dispose of syringes and sharps used at home for both humans and pets:

NEVER PLACE SHARPS IN TRASH OR RECYCLING!

· Additionally, do not put these materials in bottles or cans that are returned for deposit OR flush them down the toilet!

PROPER DISPOSAL METHODS FOR SHARPS and SYRINGES

· Collect in an approved sharps container

· If an approved sharps container is not available, place sharps in a STURDY plastic container, such as a laundry detergent jug

Bring containers from home – no businesses or medical offices – to the ecopark for proper disposal during normal business hours, no fee and no appointment necessary.

Visit https://www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark-pharmaceutical for more information on disposal at the ecopark.

Additionally – per New York State, nursing homes and emergency rooms MUST accept sharps for disposal through the Safe Sharps Collection program.

Visit this link and enter your zip code to find a convenient disposal location near you: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/consumers prevention/needles_syringes/sharps

More information on Hazardous Waste and Pharmaceutical Disposal available here:
https://clarksonny.org/ecopark-hazardous-waste-pharmaceutical-disposal-collections/

♻️✅ The Monroe County Department of Environmental Services is conducting mobile Household Hazardous Waste and Pharmaceutical collections throughout 2024!

Appointments are required for Mobile Hazardous Waste collection, and can be made by clicking on the collection date on the ecopark website: www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark
You may also contact the host Town Department of Public Works (DPW) by telephone to organize an appointment

For Pharmaceutical Collections, *appointments are not required* and available at the following locations and dates:
– Saturday, April 20 at Churchville Park (9am – noon)
– Saturday, June 15 at Latta Road (9am – 1pm)
– Saturday, August 10 at Holt Road, Webster (9am – 1pm)
– Saturday, September 10 at Chili-Paul, Chili (9am – 1pm)
More information on sites and acceptable items can be found at https://www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark-pharmaceutical

A reminder to residents, never place sharps (needles, syringes, etc.) in the trash or recycling. Proper disposal of sharps is available at the ecopark during normal business hours, with no appointment necessary. Nursing homes and emergency rooms in New York State are also required to accept sharps for disposal. For more information on sharps disposal: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/consumers/prevention/needles_syringes/sharps/

Another reminder, confidential documents containing sensitive information should not be placed in residential trash or recycling. Residents can safely shred and recycle documents at ecopark during normal business hours, with specific guidelines for material acceptance.

Additionally, the recycling program now accepts empty pizza boxes, as grease and cheese do not affect recyclability. Residents are encouraged to place empty pizza boxes in curbside recycling bins on recycling day. For more information on these services and recycling guidelines, visit www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark

Donate your eclipse glasses at the Clarkson Town Hall, 3710 Lake Road before June 1 🕶️☀️

In collaboration with the Sweden Town Hall, all returns will be forwarded to school children in Latin America for their August 2024 eclipse event.

We have a box at our Town Hall for glasses dropoff.

Thank you for your donations!

Please view this post regarding eclipse-day preparations if you have not already done so!

Some extra information as we approach the big day!

1. The Rochester Museum & Science Center is looking for people to join them between 6-9 a.m. to help be background figures for broadcast news teams who will be reporting live from RMSC for morning show coverage.
If you’re interested, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/yUiLg46ecNPmcx1B6

2. As part of the Monroe County Sheriff Office’s on-going preparation for the solar eclipse, we gave permission for a camera trailer to be placed on the Town Hall’s front lawn, to strategically monitor the traffic flow at this major intersection. There are three cameras on the pole, and the Sheriff’s command post will be in charge of camera movement. We also agreed to allow the camera trailer to remain until April 30 so that normal traffic patterns can be monitored. We are always happy to comply with the MCSO’s request when it concerns the safety of Clarkson residents.

3. Academy Award-nominees Sandbox Films (Fire of Love), Kate Davis and David Heilbroner (Traffic Stop) are creating TOTALITY, a feature-length documentary portrait of the human experience in the moon’s shadow, leading up to and during the April 8th, 2024 total solar eclipse!

They are seeking video clips from eclipse-chasers, filmmakers, and adventurers who want to share their peak PERSONAL experiences from this 2024 celestial event. Creators of all clips used will receive an onscreen credit and a licensing fee.

Please visit the link to sign up and receive their filmmaker guide! https://www.totalityfilm.com/