After a four-year hiatus, South Coast residents can look forward to disposing of household hazardous materials such as paint, pesticides and other chemical-laden compounds at a collection event slated for the city of Bandon this fall.

"They can bring in anything generated by households - except of course explosives and anything radioactive," said Loretta Pickerell, an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality manager of solid waste.

The one-day event is designed to keep unwanted chemicals from entering local landfills, forests and water treatment systems.

"They are nice for a community because they allow people - not only in Bandon but from surrounding areas - to get rid of hazardous wastes and materials they may have," said Bandon City Manager Matt Winkel.

The last hazardous waste collection event in Coos County occurred in June 2001, in Bandon and Myrtle Point, where 697 participants brought in 36,405 pounds of hazardous waste, Winkel said. The event likely will take place in September or October, and the city will begin publicizing the program about a month before it is scheduled to happen.

In addition to disposing of materials, some of them - such as half-filled cans of paint - are recycled for their original purpose. Winkel said Bandon applies to be a part of the program every year.

While it's hoped that during the time between collection events people choose to leave their hazardous wastes on shelves in their garages, or transport them to one of several permanent collection sites in larger cities, Winkel said that's not always the case.

It is not unheard of for workers at the Beaver Hill Disposal Site to find hazardous waste mixed in among the conventional garbage dropped off there. Beaver Hill never accepts hazardous waste, said Cheryl Westgaard, an administrative assistant there. She fields about one call per week from community members asking her just that.

"What they tend to do is they just dispose of the material in the trash and items like paint, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals end up in the landfill," Winkel said.

The goal is to keep people from disposing of hazardous waste unlawfully by burying it, putting it into rivers, streams and lakes, or pouring them down the toilet.

"These chemicals really cause problems if they get into the water or sewer system," Winkel said. "They can shock the system. The chemicals can kill the bugs whose job it is to digest the sewage. There is no place good to put this stuff except at one of these types of events."

Both residential and agricultural customers can drop off hazardous waste free of charge during the collection event, but commercial and industrial customers will be charged a small fee.

Aside from the advertising costs, Bandon does not spend any money on the program, which is wholly sponsored by DEQ.

"It's all for the environment. The idea is to keep the whole area clean," Winkel said.