Contact: Larry Gibbs, Lane County Waste Management Division, 682-3899

Visual Op: 10-11 a.m., Friday (tomorrow), November 20, at Churchill High School. Members of the media are welcome to come into the science labs to observe the collection of unwanted or unneeded chemicals.

Lane County Public Works Waste Management Division has been collaborating with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Springfield Utility Board (SUB) for the collection and disposal of outdated, unneeded or unwanted chemicals from Lane County high school and middle school science and art class labs.

Since February 2009, Waste Management has conducted “clean-outs” of 16 labs at Lane County schools, saving those schools more than $19,000 dollars in disposal costs alone.

“The Rehab the Lab Project team has performed an incredible service to our school by properly disposing of chemicals that would have cost us thousands of dollars to dispose of ourselves,” said Rebecca Huot, North Eugene High School chemistry teacher. “They have eliminated potential threats to the health of our staff and students by the removal of these substances. Additionally, we appreciate their efforts to keep the environment free of excess chemicals that act as pollutants.”

To participate in the program, middle and high schools sent a teacher or representative to attended laboratory safety training. The trainings took place in March and again in October. All labor costs are donated by Lane County and disposal costs are being paid with grants from the Oregon DEQ ($25,000 grant) and Springfield Utility Board ($4,200 grant).

“We would like to thank the Eugene Police Department’s Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU), referred to as the “bomb squad,” for their help in removing unknown chemicals or chemicals in which the condition of the container had deteriorated so badly that it was unsafe to transport and dispose in the normal fashion,” said Larry Gibbs, special waste analyst with the Lane County Waste Management Division.  

The next schools schedule for clean outs are Creswell, Cottage Grove and Churchill high schools.

Media Contacts Only

The following is a list of instructors, and their schools, who have participated in the program:       

Ron Otterstedt, Springfield High School, 744-4700 or email at rotterst@sps.lane.edu.

David Whalley, Sheldon High School, 790-6600 or email at whalley_d@4j.lane.edu

Toni Taylor, Lowell High School, 937-8405 or email at ttaylor@lowell.k12.or.us

Rebecca Huot, North Eugene High School, 998-2343 or email at huot_r@4j.lane.edu

Cliff Richardson, McKenzie High School, 822-3313 or email at crichardson@mckenzie.k12.or.us

Amber Fossen

Public Information Officer

Lane County Government

125 E. Eighth Ave.

Eugene, Oregon 97401

(541) 682.3718