A yearly event to get rid of garbage and finish the last bit of spring cleaning will be held this weekend to help keep the county beautiful.

The Warren County Household Hazardous Waste Day will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Warren Central High School.

The annual event, in its 18th year, is hosted by the Warren County Board of Supervisors and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

“It’s to get all the hazardous chemicals off the streets and out of the garbage so they can be disposed of legally,” said Katie Strong, Warren County environmental officer.

The day gives people a chance to get rid of items in their house that are unfit to be poured down the sink, burned or thrown out in the trash like paint, turpentine, pesticides or household chemicals. Strong cautioned against poring such items down the sink because it would then become mixed with the water system and burning such items would not be a solution either.

“Anything that produces a black smoke is toxic,” Strong said.

This year they will also accept ammunition that is unusable as well as batteries, shingles, light bulbs, computers, oil, tires, metals, televisions, refrigerators and freezers.

“We don’t take refrigerators or freezers that have food in them,” Strong said.

There will be people on hand to specifically dispose of certain items like a man who will take all the old computers, which will not be reused, a person will accept used motor or cooking oil, and a person from Interstate Battery will collect batteries of any size to be recycled.

“From the smallest hearing aid battery to the largest boat or truck battery,” Strong said.

Old hot water heaters, scrap metal, refrigerators and freezers will be taken by Keyes Recycling Center. An environmental group and people from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality will dispose of the hazardous chemicals according to the department policy.

Premier Shredding will be available to shred sensitive documents. River City Mission will accept donations of clothes, furniture and other reusable items. Regular garbage can also be thrown away at the event and will be taken by Waste Management.

“You just drive through and you don’t even have to get out of your car,” Strong said.

People drive through the parking lot and let the representatives know what they have to throw away and are told where to go. Vehicles will make their way through the lot and someone will be there to unload the waste.

“We normally have right around 600 cars that come through there each year,” Strong said.

She said the county receives a small grant from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to cover the costs of the disposal day.

“It is expensive, but its well worth the money that we spend once a year for it,” Strong said. “I’m hoping that it’s going to be bigger this year. We are trying to make it expand.”