By Shelby Stewart
Staff Wrtier
Brandon Twp.- The board of trustees declined Oakland County’s invitation to be a part of the No HAZ program again this year in a 3-3 vote at the Monday night meeting.
Ttustees Scott Broughton, Kris Kordella and supervisor Kathy Thurman voted in favor of participation while trustee Robert Marshall, clerk Candee Allen and treasurer Terri Darnell voted to not participate. Trustee Dana DePalma was absent with notice from the meeting, and with a split board, the motion to participate failed.
“When I applied to this job, I actually put it on my application that one thing I would like to see moving forward is what we can do about No HAZ,” said Broughton.”

“It’s really an incentive to get people to properly dispose of things they would otherwise be dumping in the back 40.”
No HAZ is a system for northern Oakland county that offers a safe way to dispose of hazardous waste material such as oil, gasoline, batteries, electronics, paint and more. For a full list of accepted materials, see the Oakland county website.
Based on an estimated of 150 vehicle participation, the cost would be $7,103 or if each car paid $10, it would cost the township an estimated $5,603.
“In 2017, sixteen Oakland County communities participated in the NoHaz program. More than 5,000 residents participated throughout the year, disposing of almost 735,000 pounds of household hazardous waste,” said Whitney Calio, senior planner of economic development and community affairs of Oakland county.
Fertilizers, pesticides, computers, electronics, paints and cleaners were all some of the items collected by our surrounding communities in 2017, and 2018 information will be available in February for where the events will be for that year.
“Improper disposal of these items can pollute our waterways, land and wildlife habitats,” said Calio. “Household hazardous waste can also be harmful to humans and pets if not stored and disposed of properly.”
Brandon township residents can still participate in 2018 for a fee of $50 at the event, which will be listed on the website.