Orrington, Maine Trash Collector Injured by Improperly Disposed Chemicals

An industrial accident in Orrington is a reminder to residents about the proper way to dispose of toxic and/or combustible chemicals.

Maine Sanitation Worker Hurt in Industrial Accident in Orrington

The name of the individual who was injured hasn't been released.

Officials have also not commented on the extent of the worker's injuries, but town officials say they were transported to the hospital after being sprayed by some deck cleaner.

Gregory's Disposal Worker Hurt by Improper Chemical Disposal in Orrington, Maine

It started out as a quiet Friday afternoon at my house until it was disrupted by the sound of a lot of sirens just before 5:30 pm, headed into our neighborhood in South Orrington.

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Our first thought was possibly a wildfire, which is not unusual in our neck of the woods.

But we would soon learn that they were responding to an incident involving a sanitation truck from Gregory's Disposal on Hoxie Hill Road.

The town of Orrington had just recently switched its sanitation service to the Fairfield company, and in their first month of service to the community, one of their workers was injured and a truck disabled by an industrial accident.

Maine Sanitation Incident is a Reminder to Properly DIspose of Hazardous Waste

According to the Town of Orrington Facebook page, someone had disposed of deck cleaner, which should never be thrown out in household trash.

The Environmental Protection Administratio has tips on how to safely dispose of hazardous household waste, and cautions against throwing these products in the regular trash as it poses a risk to sanitation workers.

Many communities, including Orrington, hold once-or-twice-a-year community collection days, when these types of chemicals can be disposed of safely.