East Baton Rouge Parish residents can drop off household hazardous materials for safe disposal at the upcoming Household Hazardous Materials Collection Day on Saturday, March 10, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Baton Rouge.   

City-Parish Recycling Director Susan Hamilton emphasized that this event is only for the collection of residential hazardous materials, and will not accept materials generated by businesses and other commercial sources, or by people who live outside East Baton Rouge Parish.

All vehicles entering the drop-off site will be stopped to verify that the occupants are East Baton Rouge residents.

The Christmas tree recycling program will offer curbside collection for East Baton Rouge residents, except in Baker and Zachary. Several drop-off locations will also be available.

Recycling Director Susan Hamilton said that Allied Waste will collect Christmas trees placed on the curb between Jan. 9 and Jan. 22.

“The trees will be collected in rear loaders or brush trucks on the resident’s trash collection day in a separate pass, stated Hamilton.  “The Christmas trees are then delivered to Natural Resources Recovery, Inc., the city-parish woody-waste recycling contractor, where they are processed into compost or mulch,” Hamilton continued.

Christmas trees should be placed at the curb separate from other unbundled trash and woody waste.

Scientists and professionals who are working on the frontlines of Global Food Security and Plant Biosecurity research will gather for a Symposium at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge on November 8-9 to uncover potential threats to our nation’s natural resources and agriculture.

“This symposium features presentations and demonstrations from researchers at universities and federal and state agencies who are monitoring high consequence plant pathogens, insect pests, and invasive weeds that threaten our nation’s food security and renewable natural resources,” said Daniel Collins, professor of plant pathology and symposium organizer.

Workshop topics include: Graduate Student Poster Session on Global Food Security and Plant Biosecurity; Global Challenges of Invasive Species to our Forest Ecosystems; Strategies for Safeguarding American Plant Resources; Global Food Security and Food Safety; Special Session on Contributions of Dr.