SENNETT - There is an ever increasing concern and awareness of what is happening to the environment and the part that everyone plays in protecting the planet from hazardous wastes.

In Cayuga County, some people have been working for almost a decade to help make the public aware of the problem and what they can do to help.

Renee Jensen, community educator for environmental issues at Cornell Cooperative Extension, has been working closely with Bruce Natalie, an environmental engineer with county planning, to increase this awareness and give Cayuga County residents the opportunity to dispose of potentially hazardous materials in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Saturday morning, cars and trucks were lined up to get into the Cayuga County Natural Resource Center for the seventh annual home electronics and propane tank collection day.

The initiative, sponsored by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District and NUCOR, has helped dispose of more than 134,000 pounds of hazardous wastes since it began.

And Cornell Cooperative Extension has been doing all it can to help.

"This is my third year," Jensen said. "We do a lot of PR and press releases and just try to help make people more aware through information and our Web site that these kinds of services are available to dispose of these kinds of materials."

Read the full report in Sunday's edition of The Citizen.