Household Hazardous Waste Round-up

SJ Update file photo

San Juan County’s Solid Waste Division has moved the annual household hazardous waste collection towards warmer weather this year.

The 2015 HHW Roundup at each of the three island solid waste sites will be:

• San Juan Island – Saturday, May 9, from 10 am to 2 pm
• Orcas Island – Saturday, June 27, from 10 am to 2 pm
• Lopez Island – Sunday, June 28, from 11 am to 2 pm

Residents of other islands are invited to participate.

Many common household products can harm humans, plants, animals, and the whole environmental cycle. Household hazardous wastes, include ordinary commercial products like cleaning fluids, camp stove fuel, or pesticides.

If thrown in the trash, even in small amounts, they present a risk to the people handing the waste and can contaminate a landfill or recycled material.  If they escape down a drain or end up on the ground, they can contaminate wells or run off into the nearshore waters and cause lasting damage.

The Annual Hazardous Waste Roundup offers County residents a chance to safely dispose of a wide variety of potentially harmful waste materials including:

• auto/boat repair products
• chemical cleaning supplies
• solvents and thinners
• pesticides and weed killers
• wood preservatives
• oil-based paints and stains
• aerosols – any “spray can” that is not a pump
• adhesives
• pool and photo chemicals
• contaminated motor oil or antifreeze (have been mixed together or with solvents)
• gasoline, kerosene, alcohols

Materials should not be mixed together as that makes safe disposal extremely difficult!

Individuals may dispose of up to 25 gallons of each household’s waste without charge.

FOR BUSINESSES

Local businesses that generate only small quantities of hazardous waste (SQG’s) are invited to participate in the round-up events. They pay for the County-provided collection service at a substantially lower rate than they would as individual businesses.  SQG businesses must register two weeks before the round-up event and should call the County Hazardous Waste Coordinator at 370-0534 to register.

With the exception of San Juan Island, business waste will be accepted on the same day as household waste.  San Juan business should come on Friday May 8, between 1 and 3 p.m.

Please Note: Here are safe and responsible methods for disposing of waste items that will not be accepted at the roundup.

• Medications: Take unwanted medications (pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter drugs) to the drugstore or to the Sheriff’s Office for safe disposal.

• Latex or acrylic paint is not toxic.  Just dry it out.  Throw in some sawdust or cat litter, if necessary, and put it in the garbage.  Latex paint will not be accepted at county hazardous waste collection events.
• Fluorescent lights, if at all possible.  OPALCO can take your used twisty fluorescent “bulbs”, and Ace Hardware, Orcas Recycling Services on Orcas Road, Lopez Solid Waste Disposal on Fisherman Bay Road, and Consignment Treasures can now take both the “bulbs” and fluorescent tubes.
• Household batteries are accepted by hardware stores and the disposal sites on Orcas and Lopez.
• As usual, try to deliver uncontaminated used motor oil and antifreeze to your island’s regular drop-off station, where they can be sent for reuse or recycling.
• Car batteries can be taken to the drop-off stations during regular hours, or to any store that sells them. They will be sent for recycling.

Other hazardous wastes

For proper disposal of unwanted ammunition, flares, or explosives, contact the Sheriff’s office.

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