By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A new way to clean up meth labs is helping the bottom line for law enforcement throughout the state.
In February, federal dollars used to clean up meth labs dried up. However, state officials have come up with a new way to help which utilizes large, white storage facilities.
Now when meth labs are discovered, they will be stored until they can be disposed of properly.
The new storage containers were put up in 12 counties throughout the state on July 1. One of them is in Knox County. It is located at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation headquarters.
Officials say the storage containers will save local law enforcement agencies thousands of dollars since an average meth lab costs $2,500 to clean up.
The new storage containers, along with additional training of state lab techs to get rid of the waste, will cut that cost by $2,000.
"We are looking at a savings of millions of dollars to the state and multiple agencies that would have had to pick up these costs," said Tommy Farmer, director of the Tennessee Meth Task Force.
Local law enforcement officers say the new containers are already working.
"We have had probably six this week and they responded," said Campbell County Sheriff Robbie Goins. "I really commend the state for stepping up and helping us with this. We actually were in the process of trying to find a way to store these meth labs."
Funding was appropriated for the storage containers through the governor's "I Hate Meth" act.
State officials got the idea for the storage containers from other states that already have the system in place, like Kentucky and Indiana.
The new storage containers were put up in 12 counties throughout the state on July 1.
