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MONROE COUNTY
Monroe County Environmental Health Division
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Hazardous WasteThe US EPA defines household hazardous waste as: “Hazardous products used and disposed of by residential as opposed to industrial consumers. Includes paints, stains, varnishes, solvents, pesticides, and other materials or products containing volatile chemicals that can catch fire, react or explode, or that are corrosive or toxic.”6 Where to take your hazardous wasteHazardous waste (see a list in the ‘What you need to know’ page) cannot be disposed of by throwing it in a dumpster or putting it on your curb with your other garbage and recyclables. It requires special handling and treatment. Luckily, each year, the Monroe County Solid Waste Program sponsors collection days to assist you in disposing of old or excess chemicals and materials from your house and or garden. This program is limited to individual households only. No materials from business or industrial sources will be accepted. All items must be brought in the original container. Events scheduled for 2010: May 8 - 8 am - noon - Monroe County Drain Commission, 1005 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe June 16 - 3-7 p.m. - Kroger, 3462 W. Sterns Rd., Lambertville August 18 - 3-7 p.m. - Monroe Mulit-Sports Complex, 333 N. dixie Hwy., Monroe October 2 - 8 a.m. - noon - Kroger, 3462 W. Sterns Rd., Lambertville Medication Waste Disposal! Beginning in 2009, the Solid Waste Program along with other community partners started offering collection events for unwanted prescription and over the counter medicines, medication samples, personal care products and veterinary medications. The scheduled collection events for 2010 include: May 8 - 8 a.m. - noon, Arthur Lesow Center, 120 Eastchester St., Monroe October 2 - 8 a.m. - noon, Carr Park Community Center, 9240 Lewis Ave., Temperance
DISPOSAL OF LATEX PAINT You must dry it out to get rid of it! When liquid paint is put in a landfill it could possibly leak into the ground water. You can prevent this by drying it out. Drying it outside the can is quicker. A good method is to line a cardboard box with a heavy plastic garbage bag. Then fill the bottom of the bag with a layer of cat littler, oil dry or shredded newspaper. Then drizzle some of the paint on the absorbent layer and give it some time to dry. Repeat the next day as needed. After it is all dry, close and tie the bag and include it with your garbage.
DISPOSAL OF COMPACT FLUORESCENT BULBS
You can recycle your CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs at several locations around the county. For more information on CFL bulbs and the impact these have on energy savings and the environment, where to recycle and how to clean up a broken bulb, please read the Monroe County CFL Flier. Monroe County CFL Recycling Locations: Dundee Ace Hardware – 545 E. Monroe St., Dundee What you need to knowExamples of household hazardous wastes are:
Cleaning Products: Automotive Products: Lawn and Garden Products: Other Flammable Products: Indoor Pesticides: Workshop/Painting Supplies: Miscellaneous: For more information on products and their potential health effects visit the National Library of Medicine’s Household Product Database at http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov If you have a material not listed, please email Monroe County Solid Waste Coordinator, Jamie Dean at jamie_dean@monroemi.org and place HHW in the subject line.
The Dangers of HHWAll HHW poses serious environmental and human health threats is disposed of in your regular household waste. Explosive and flammable wastes can pose a threat to the garbage collectors and landfill employees. HHW can also pollute groundwater, soil and air. Hazardous waste is taken to the landfill with the rest of your garbage can leach into the surrounding soil and groundwater. Water that goes down your drain ends up in a water treatment plant. Water at the plant is then treated and released. However, many hazardous wastes can NOT be broken down in the treatment plant. That means that some of these hazardous chemicals can be released into rivers and lakes, causing environmental damage.Protecting the EnvironmentThe best way to protect the air, water and soil from the improper disposal of household hazardous wastes is to avoid purchasing these products in the first place. There are many alternatives that are safer for you and safer for the environment. Considering these alternatives helps you avoid thinking about how to safely dispose of hazardous waste at all. Some of these alternatives include:
1. Reducing the amount of hazardous waste you need to dispose of by purchasing environmentally friendly cleaning products. You can find local businesses that sell environmentally friendly products in the Ecoville Directory.
2. Reusing is another important way to reduce the amount of HHW that you need to get rid of. Buying rechargeable batteries and repairing, upgrading or donating electronic equipment are some examples of how you can reuse items that would otherwise need to be disposed of at a HHW Collection Centre. |
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