It’s time for Burnet and Llano county residents to search their homes for unwanted chemicals for free disposal at a household hazardous waste collection event Saturday, April 26.

The event will be held at LCRA’s Western District Complex at the intersection of RR 1431 and Highway 29 in Llano County. The site will be open for collections from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Burnet and Llano county residents can take the opportunity to rid their homes of paints, lawn and garden pesticides and herbicides, batteries and other home chemicals by bringing them to the collection site.

Also accepted will be paint thinners, oven and drain cleaners, floor and furniture polishes, upholstery cleaners and brake and transmission fluids.

Recyclable materials, including scrap passenger tires, lead-acid batteries, used motor oil, oil filters and antifreeze also will be accepted and recycled. An approved environmental services company will properly dispose of all household hazardous materials.

Also, a product exchange center will be open at the collection site from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Residents can donate or pick up reusable home chemical products such as paint, cleaners, lawn and garden and automotive products and more.

Residents also can drop off old or unwanted electronic components such as computers and cell phones, which will be screened for reuse or recycling.

Items not being accepted are agricultural chemicals, dioxins, appliances, explosives, industrial or commercial/business waste, propane cylinders, medical or pharmaceutical items, radioactive materials, tires with rims, or containers larger than five gallons.

Don’t mix or consolidate items for transport. Haul items away from passengers in the trunk of a car or back of a vehicle. Also make sure containers don’t leak.

The Burnet and Llano county household hazardous waste collection is sponsored by LCRA in cooperation with Burnet County, Llano County, Capital Area Planning Council of Governments, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Colorado River Foundation.

The program helps protect water quality by encouraging the reduction, recycling and reuse of chemicals and hazardous wastes in the home. Proper management of hazardous household chemicals also helps prevent injuries in the home.

Although there is no charge to residents, the average cost of properly disposing of a 55-gallon barrel of waste is more than $250. The Adopt-A-Barrel program, a community fund-raising campaign sponsored by the Colorado River Foundation, allows businesses, individuals and organizations to make tax-deductible donations to help recover the costs of collecting and properly disposing of hazardous wastes.

For more information about the event or Adopt-A-Barrel, call Jack Ranney, LCRA program coordinator, at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 7651.