People will be able to drop off hazardous waste at some of Norfolk’s recycling centres when an amnesty on such materials is held.

Eastern Daily Press: Andy Grant, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for waste. Picture: James BassAndy Grant, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for waste. Picture: James Bass

Visitors to seven participating recycling centres will be able to drop off items including wood preservatives, insecticides, weed killers, paint, thinners, varnishes and special cleaning products.

Hazardous household products are common in many homes and must be disposed of carefully in order to prevent dangerous chemical reactions.

That type of waste is not normally accepted at recycling centres as it needs to be dealt with by specialist waste disposal contractors.

But Norfolk County Council regularly holds amnesties, which will begin next week and continue through to October.

Andy Grant, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for waste, said: “Disposing of hazardous waste can be much more difficult and expensive than regular waste so we wanted to give people the opportunity to get rid of hazardous items safely and responsibly.

“These are very popular events so you are likely to find queues to enter the recycling centre, especially up until lunchtime.

“The sites are open until 5pm in September and 4pm in October so please come later in the day if possible, and don’t visit during the events unless you have hazardous waste to get rid of.

“Leftover paint is the number one item brought to our annual events, so if you only have a that little bit of it leftover, I’d urge you to dry it out and put the tin in your kerbside rubbish bin.”

It is recommended that people use suitable waste containers for disposal. As with all visits to recycling centres, people are required to practice safe social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

These are the dates, times and locations of the hazardous household waste events:

Mayton Wood: September 4, 5 and 6 from 9am to 5pm.

King’s Lynn: September 11, 12 and 13 from 9am to 5pm.

Thetford: September 18, 19 and 20 from 9am to 5pm.

Ketteringham: September 25, 26 and 27 from 9am to 5pm.

Dereham: October 2, 3 and 4 from 9am to 4pm.

Hempton: October 9, 10 and 11 from 9am to 4pm.

Caister: October 16, 17 and 18 from 9am to 4pm.