Controlled medications, prescriptions, and over the counter medicines can be disposed of at no cost. Ashland Police Officer Ryan Bybee (L); Christine Dryer, pharmacist at NorthLakes Community Clinic; and Dorothy Tank, Ashland County Emergency Management Department Director, volunteered to accept and sort items brought to the medications table at the 2021 collection event.
Ashland County residents have been participating in annual Cleansweeps events since the regional program started in 1995—that’s 27 years’ worth of hazardous materials kept out of landfills, soil, and water ways!
With the support of Ashland County government and in partnership with the Northwest Regional Planning Commission, the Extension Ashland County office coordinates an annual hazardous waste collection called ‘Clean Sweep.’
Counties in Northern Wisconsin have contracted with the Northwest Regional Planning Commission to offer annual Cleansweep Collections at no or low cost to households, farms, and businesses in a nine-county region since 1995. The program received a Wisconsin Governors Award for Excellence in Solid Waste Reduction by offering almost 400 collection events and keeping 1.6 million pounds of toxic materials from harming our waters, land, and wildlife.
2022 Cleansweeps Hazardous Waste Collection
Save the Date!
| Wednesday, June 22nd, from 2:00-6:00 PM at Northwood Technical College south parking lot. 2100 Beaser Ave. | Lissa Radke Ashland County UW Extension (715) 682-7017 |
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Before Cleansweeps - Informative Webinars
Green Your Life: Reduce Your Use of Hazardous Materials!
Wednesday, June 1 at 4:00 to 5:00 PM
You can view a recording of this webinar on YouTube by following this link
All of us have it stored on shelves in our basements, garages, barns, out buildings, and other places–hazardous materials. Unused oil paint, old farm chemicals, toxic cleaners, burned out batteries and light bulbs. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll learn what happens to those products after you take them to a local Cleansweeps collection. And, we’ll learn how to avoid even using hazardous materials by purchasing safe products instead. The webinar is free and open to the public including members of households, farms, businesses, schools, and municipalities but pre-registration is required. Register here.
Find all the information here
The program is co-hosted by UW Madison Division of Extension-Ashland County, the Environmental Assistance Program at Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Veolia Environmental Services-North America.
Green Your Life: Reduce Your Use of Hazardous Materials!
Wednesday, June 1 at 4:00 to 5:00 PM
You can view a recording of this webinar on YouTube by following this link
All of us have it stored on shelves in our basements, garages, barns, out buildings, and other places–hazardous materials. Unused oil paint, old farm chemicals, toxic cleaners, burned out batteries and light bulbs. In this one-hour webinar, we’ll learn what happens to those products after you take them to a local Cleansweeps collection. And, we’ll learn how to avoid even using hazardous materials by purchasing safe products instead. The webinar is free and open to the public including members of households, farms, businesses, schools, and municipalities but pre-registration is required. Register here.
Find all the information here
What’s considered hazardous or not hazardous?
Click here for the 2022 list of acceptable/not acceptable items at a Cleansweeps. From Northwest Regional Planning Commission.
Additionally you can refer to the most up to date UW-Extension Ashland County’s complete Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Guide.
Click here for the 2022 list of acceptable/not acceptable items at a Cleansweeps. From Northwest Regional Planning Commission.
Additionally you can refer to the most up to date UW-Extension Ashland County’s complete Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Guide.
What was safely disposed of in Ashland County?
In 2021, 104 participants from 5 counties brought the following materials to the Ashland County Cleansweeps:
- 1 pound of controlled prescriptions and 23 pounds of non-controlled medications
- 9 pounds of Lithium Ion Batteries 9lb
- 20 pounds of Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries 20lb
- 22 pounds of Nickel Cadmium Batteries 22lb
- 64 fluorescent bulbs under 4-feet long
- 34 fluorescent bulbs over 5-feet long
- 537 lbs. of pesticides and poisons
- 2,040 lbs. of Lead and oil paints
- 269 lbs. of caustics and corrosives
- 65 lbs. of reactives
- 1,396 lbs. of solvents and thinners
- 899 aerosol cans
- 12 lbs. of dioxin
- 219 lbs. of Other contaminants
- 5,437 lbs. Total
In 2021, 104 participants from 5 counties brought the following materials to the Ashland County Cleansweeps:
Additional Resources
- Latex paints and water-based stains are not accepted at Cleansweeps since they’re not considered hazardous. Here’s a short video showing how to safely dispose of latex paint and cans.
- A wide variety of statewide recycling and waste management information is available from the UW Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center.
- For medium to large quantities of materials to recycle on your time schedule check Waste Management’s LampTracker which offers environmentally friendly, safe, and simple recycling solutions for fluorescent lamps, dry cell batteries, lighting ballasts, mercury devices, computers, electronics, sharps, bottles, cans, and paper, the cost includes pre-paid mailing.
- Latex paints and water-based stains are not accepted at Cleansweeps since they’re not considered hazardous. Here’s a short video showing how to safely dispose of latex paint and cans.
- A wide variety of statewide recycling and waste management information is available from the UW Solid and Hazardous Waste Education Center.
- For medium to large quantities of materials to recycle on your time schedule check Waste Management’s LampTracker which offers environmentally friendly, safe, and simple recycling solutions for fluorescent lamps, dry cell batteries, lighting ballasts, mercury devices, computers, electronics, sharps, bottles, cans, and paper, the cost includes pre-paid mailing.
