CBPU/Biz Aid collects dangerous materials in annual disposal event

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·2 min read

COLDWATER — A steady stream of cars, trucks, and trailers brought loads of hazardous materials from households in Coldwater, Bronson, Quincy, and nine of the county’s townships to the fairgrounds Saturday.

Crews from Plainwell-based DLD, Inc. collected the materials, sorted them, and placed them into proper containers for disposal.

Employees of DLD, Inc unload hazardous materials from an SUV brought to the Saturday BBPU annual collection.
Employees of DLD, Inc unload hazardous materials from an SUV brought to the Saturday BBPU annual collection.

Biz Aid collected old TVs, monitors, and other electronic equipment across the bay in the same building under a state grant.

Sam Buterbaugh, the owner of Biz Aid, said they collected 100 units of charged items, old computer monitors, and TV tubes that used heavy lead glass, a hazardous material.

“They go to a special processor designated to handle those. They will reclaim the glass and the lead and reuse them. Technically, they will be recycled, not disposed of,” Buterbaugh explained.

Steve Noble, environmental quality specialist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and Jeff Buterbaugh wrap up a pallet of TVs hazardous because of lead glass tubes.
Steve Noble, environmental quality specialist with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and Jeff Buterbaugh wrap up a pallet of TVs hazardous because of lead glass tubes.

With the tubes and miscellaneous items like VCRs, cords, cables, and phone equipment, Biz Aid collected 5,000 pounds of materials.

Coldwater Board of Public Utilities operates the annual collection started in the 1990s to protect the watershed around public wells.

DLD is the licensed treatment, storage, and disposal facility and hazardous waste transporter hired this year to take the materials for proper disposal or recycling.

The exact amounts and types of materials won’t be known until CBPU gets the bill in the next couple of months. Participating communities and townships will receive an invoice for $35 per vehicle that used the service.

The Biz Aid collection came as part of a $15,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy grant funds to bring electronics recycling to the area with CBPU. 

Crews from DLD, Inc of Plainwell collected hazardous materials brought in by residents of local municipalities and nine participating townships at the Fairgrounds Saturday.
Crews from DLD, Inc of Plainwell collected hazardous materials brought in by residents of local municipalities and nine participating townships at the Fairgrounds Saturday.

Saturday collection came with the CBPU hazardous waste collection service.

Households in Branch County and from Reading who missed the Saturday electronic drop off can drop off electronics, including televisions and computer monitors, at the Coldwater Darling Drive recycling center on Saturdays only, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

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There is a $5 per visit for most electronics, with an additional $5 charge for each television and monitor, with a limit of three per visit.

Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: CBPU/Biz Aid collects dangerous materials in annual disposal event