First Selectman Michael J. Freda announced that the Regional Water Authority (RWA) is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and adapting to protect the health and safety of North Haven’s residents and its customers.

The 2020 Household HazWaste Central (HWC) Program collection season currently scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 16 will be postponed until at least Saturday, May 30. This follows the social distancing recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and others. RWA will continue monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut and if necessary, may further delay the 2020 HWC opening to continue protecting the health of the town’s residents, customers, HWC volunteers, and all communities it serves.

When RWA is confident that it will be safe to open the collection center, a newspaper ad will be published to reflect the opening date and posted on the town’s website. At that time, the Department of Public Works will also share an electronic copy of the advertisement with the town’s residents on its webpages.

Those who are at home doing spring cleaning, and who may have questions about old and/or expired chemicals they find, are encouraged to reach out to the RWA with their questions at 203-401-2712 or by email at ask.hazwaste@rwater.com. RWA will also be sharing helpful tips on household hazardous waste management on its RWA’s Facebook page. All North Haven residents are encouraged to review this page for information.

When the collection center is open for business, social distancing practices will be encouraged as part of routine operations. Paper user-questionnaires will be eliminated and all customers will be asked to sign in electronically using their smartphone and/or home computer. HWC began using this online sign-in option two years ago. The mechanism is already functional and it provides the necessary municipal participation data. There will be a back-up process to assist customers that are unable to use the electronic sign-in function.

Further information on the project may be obtained by contacting the director of the Department of Public Works at 203-239-5321, extension 400.