Household Hazardous Waste Collection scheduled

Print Story | Email Story
On Saturday, October 18, the South Berkshire Household Hazardous Waste Collaborative will hold a comprehensive hazardous waste collection for the 15 towns that comprise the Collaborative. The collection will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Great Barrington Recycling Center.
 
Only residents of these 15 towns are eligible to participate. The towns include Alford, Becket, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham and West Stockbridge. Registration is required.
 
From the workbench and garage, acceptable materials include oil-based paints, stains and varnishes, wood preservatives, paint strippers/thinners, solvent adhesives, lighter fluid, acid, fuels/gasoline/kerosene, antifreeze, degreasers, driveway sealer, brake fluid/carburetor cleaner, transmission fluid, car wax, polishes, roofing tar, pool chemicals, and fluorescent lamps.
 
From the yard and house, materials include poisons, insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers, weed killers, moth balls, flea control products, rubber cement, airplane glue, fiberglass resins, photo chemicals, chemistry sets, floor and metal polish, oven cleaner, drain and toilet cleaner, spot remover, rug and upholstery cleaner, hobby/artist supplies, mercury thermometers, thermostats, button batteries and rechargeable batteries.

Televisions and computers will be accepted for a fee of $10 and up, depending on size. No console or big screen televisions will be accepted. Products that contain mercury, such as fever thermometers and button batteries, found in watches and hearing aides, may also be brought to the collection. There will be a digital fever thermometer exchange (one per household) for mercury fever thermometers brought to this collection.

Rechargeable batteries, such as those used in cell phones and tools, will be accepted as well.  Alkaline batteries may be disposed of with ordinary household trash.

Latex paint will not be accepted at this event. Empty or dried up cans of latex paint can be disposed with the regular trash. Empty cans of oil-based paint, stains and solvents can be disposed with the regular trash as well.

For more information about what can be brought to the collection, visit cetonline.org, or call us at 1-800-238-1221, ext. 17 or 25, or email amandad@cetonline.org. Residents from communities that are not participating should call their City or Town Hall for information about household hazardous product collections.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

View Full Story

More South County Stories