EDITORIAL: Region needs household hazardous waste disposal site

County residents and those from nearby communities will hopefully be able to safely dispose of household hazardous wastes at a facility to be built at the Grand Island Transfer Station. It would be a big victory for Hall County, Alda, Ashton, Hampton, Loup City, St. Paul, Ord,  Wood River, Aurora, Doniphan, Central City and Cairo if the facility is developed.

The effort to build the facility received a big boost when the county board Tuesday approved an interlocal agreement to develop the facility, a proposed 7,000-square-foot building costing an estimated $700,000. Grand Island will soon be asked to participate in the project as well. It is hoped that the bulk of the costs will come from a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

A previous application for a grant was submitted four years ago by Grand Island, but it was rejected with a suggestion that Grand Island's proposal should include other neighboring communities.

Paul Briseno, the assistant to the Grand Island city administrator, has shepherded the grant proposal through to this point. He has enlisted the support and commitment from the neighboring communities and it looks like the facility will become a reality soon.

This proposal is considerably smaller than the 10,000-square-foot  facility rejected four years ago. That project carried a $1.2 million construction price tag.

The region has needed a hazardous materials collection center for many years. Residents are becoming more aware of the environmental damage done by household hazardous waste and have been frustrated at the lack of convenient drop points. As a result, partial bags of fertilizers, cans of unused paint, solvents and other materials collect in the area's homes and garages. The  occasional collection events were not often enough to get residents to regularly dispose of these items safely.

Briseno, Grand Island and Hall County are to be congratulated for taking the lead in promoting safe removal of hazardous waste from the homes in the region. The inclusion of these additional communities to the effort is a wise idea and will make the facility even more efficient over the years.

Central Nebraska's environment, wildlife and water quality will all benefit from a cleaner region safe from harmful hazardous wastes.