Richland Recycles Day – an annual County community event – moves to a Saturday this year and residents are urged to plan now by putting aside items that are not collected curbside.

The huge recycling event will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 14 at the SC State Fairgrounds, 1200 Rosewood Drive in Columbia. The event is an opportunity for residents to get rid of junk, hazardous chemicals and more in a responsible manner.

The list of items accepted at Richland Recycles Day is extensive, including:

• Batteries
• Cooking oil
• Electronics (including stereos, computers, televisions, microwaves, telephones, fax machines, small appliances, power tools, etc.)
• Fertilizer that contains herbicides
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Pesticides
• Hazardous household Products (including cleaning products, insecticides, etc.)
• Mattresses
• Paint
• Paper for shredding (limit five boxes)
• Scrap metal (including stoves, washers, bicycles, metal chairs, shelves, lawn mowers emptied of gasoline, refrigerators, air conditioners, etc.)
• Tires (including car and light truck tires, bicycle and motorcycle tires – limit eight per family)

The SC Department of Agriculture also will be on site to accept pesticides from any state resident. All other recycling is for Richland County residents only – not commercial or business entities.

To make the process of dropping off all that unwanted stuff a little easier, people bringing items to Richland Recycles Day remain in their vehicles. Workers unload all the items and sort them for proper disposal. Several community partners and businesses also will be on hand to collect items.

To prepare items:

• Tighten caps and lids
• Leave materials in their original containers
• Pack containers in sturdy boxes
• Place boxes in the trunk or the back of vehicles

(For safety reasons, ammunition, fireworks, gasoline, medical waste, smoke detectors and syringes are not accepted at this event.)

For more information about Richland Recycles Day, call 803-576-2446.