City departments are coming together to host the annual household hazardous waste event Saturday.

The event began in the early 1990s to provide a location for household hazardous waste collection to prevent people from throwing harmful items away that could end up in the water stream, Robert Reiter the District Coordinator for SouthEastern Ohio Joint Solid Waste Management District said.

SouthEastern Ohio Joint Solid Waste Management District contracts for roughly 20 to 25 workers to staff the event. In addition to the contracted workers, many city departments including the water department, fire department, sheriff’s department and others help to run the event.

Reiter estimates that roughly 600 to 1200 cars typically come through the drop off location.

While household wastes are accepted, commercial, industrial and agricultural generated waste will not be accepted. Those hazardous waste materials are regulated while household waste items are exempt from regulation, Reiter said.

After all waste is collected at the drop site, it will be transported to Environmental Enterprises, Inc. in Cincinnati.

Approximately 95 percent of the collected hazardous waste will be recycled into alternative fuel, Reiter said.

The event is from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the shared parking lot between Ohio University Zanesville Campus and Zane State Campus.

For a list of acceptable items to dispose of at the event, click here.