Today was the City of Lowell’s household hazardous materials drop-off day. Residents could transport items such as oil, cleaners, pesticides and other chemicals to Cawley Stadium and safely drop them off with professionals who will dispose of them safely. Tires and TV’s were also being collected, but there was a small fee for them.

I arrived about 15 minutes before the 9 am start time and found quite a few cars lined up along Douglas Road. The line began moving promptly at 9 am. First you had to show your drivers license to establish that you were a Lowell resident. Next you were asked if you had any tires or TVs; if yes, you paid the fee there and were given a ticket for use at the collection point. At the next station, after answering a few questions about the type of materials you had, you were directed into one of several columns formed by traffic cones that led across the parking lot. Once you made it to the front of your column, the police officer overseeing the traffic would direct you to pull up to the collection point and a squad of hazmat suit-clad workers would descend on your trunk and remove everything. I was on my way home by 9:30 am. It was well organized and well run from my perspective. I brought along my video camera and documented my trip on YouTube:

[youtube]RBUd5H68C8o[/youtube]