The first 10 participants who attend a toxic waste collection Wednesday will receive free tickets to see “The Toxic Avenger” at the Hippodrome State Theatre.
The Hippodrome has partnered with the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department’s Hazardous Waste Collection Center to collect hazardous waste from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot at the corner of Southeast Second Place and Southeast First Street.
All event participants can purchase discounted tickets for $10 each to see the play within the first 10 days of showings.
“The show is a musical comedy set in a toxic waste dump off the New Jersey turnpike,” said Mark Sexton, the Alachua County communications and legislative affairs director. “It ties right into what we’re trying to do here.”
The collection will accept items such as car batteries, paints, pills and light bulbs.
“All of our drinking water comes from an aquifer,” said Kurt Seaburg, the hazardous waste coordinator at the Hazardous Waste Collection Center. “If you don’t properly dispose of the hazardous materials that we collect, they have the potential to contaminate our groundwater.”
The collection center, located at 5125 NE. 63rd Ave., collects about 1.5 million pounds of waste each year, Seaburg said.
“We like to do things that are win-win-win,” said Jessica Hurov, the managing director of the Hippodrome. “It’s a win for the environment, it’s a win for the participants and it’s a win for the Hippodrome, because we get to spread the word about our play.”
