Household Hazardous Waste Collection scheduled

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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.

Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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