Fore more than two decades, the Warren County Board of Supervisors and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality have been encouraging residents to dispose of their unwanted household hazardous waste with a collection drive. Another opportunity to get rid of those old paint cans, tires and more is Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Warren Central High School.

Warren County Environmental Officer Katie Strong says the event has steadily grown over the years with more than 800 vehicles driving through the event the last couple of years. She said residents are pleased to participate in the event.

“We had 838 vehicles come through last year,” Strong said. “We have a large turnout every year. When January rolls around, they start calling wanting to know when it will be.”

And they do participate.

Strong said more than 18,000 pounds of metals was collected and disposed of during last year’s event, along with 1,000 gallons of oil; around 20,000 pounds of electronics; more than a 100 batteries and hundreds of gallons of paint.

For the third year, they will also be collecting ammunition and for the second straight year, they will be collecting American flags that will be given to the local American Legion for their flag retirement ceremonies.

River City Missions will be set up to collect donated clothes and furniture, while county road crews will be there to dispose of unwanted tires. A vendor will also be on site to shred sensitive documents people wish to dispose of.

The Board of Supervisors, through a partial grant from MDEQ, partners with Care Environmental from Orlando, who dispose of the collected materials properly, but Strong said the event would not be possible without the volunteers and road crew members who set up and clean up the event.

Strong said the standard had been about 600 vehicles coming through the event, but since it has grown to more than 800 the last couple of years, they may consider hosting the hazardous waste day twice a year.

“We encourage people to participate,” Strong said. “I’d love to see 1,000 cars come through.”