HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The EPA considers household items that can catch fire, react or explode, hazardous household waste items once you are finished with them.
The City of Huntsville’s Green Team and Solid Waste Disposal Authority aims to help people dispose of their hazardous waste properly this Saturday.
Believe it or not, there are several items within your home that are considered hazardous household waste items such as the battery in your laptop or your smoke detector.
Even things as simple as a TV monitor. Items like these must be disposed of properly. If not, they could wreak havoc on the environment and the Huntsville community.
What are some of those items we should be looking out for?
“We take your old barbecue grill propane tanks, That's the one not many people know. Smoke detectors, we do those. A lot of people don't know to bring their lithium batteries here still yet and we do that,” said SWDA Facility Manager, Andrew Wilson.
“From fluorescent light bulbs, medical waste, oil. All these products that we use that make our life easier; fertilizers, chemicals, you know, gasoline. All these things we don't need them in the trash,” added Green Team Manager & City Landscape Manager, Nikole Sothers.
One of the main reasons we don't want these waste products to end up elsewhere is because elsewhere means places like our water systems.
“One thing is, some of these things are actually very volatile. And when you pack them all together, these chemicals mix together so [they] can pollute the air, the water, you know, and the earth. So by making sure that we dispose of it properly, we are keeping the environment clean,” Sothers said.
You may think, well, if I am getting this stuff into the normal waste bin, everything should be fine? But, that's not the case.
“Once it goes to the Solid Waste Disposal Authority, it still ends up in a landfill and it still remains at a landfill. So that water ends up in our water,” Sothers said.
“Also once it rains, it gets in your groundwater, it's going to rain. It's going to go to your ditches, it's going to go to your creeks. You have livestock that drink out of these creeks. You have people who irrigate their crops out of these creeks, and eventually, you're going to end up consuming it. So it's best to just dispose of it properly from the get-go,” Wilson said.
By taking your hazardous household waste items to places like the Solid Waste Disposal Authority, you're doing your part in keeping Huntsville clean for all who live here.
“It's very important for the safety of our of everybody in Huntsville, even at home. I mean, you don't want to throw it in your garbage can and mix the wrong things together,” Sothers said.
Here’s how you can keep Huntsville beautiful:
The City of Huntsville's Green Team is hosting events on March 11 and 18 to help the community clean up and clean out.
Residents have two opportunities to safely discard their household hazardous waste such as old paint cans, computers, televisions, car batteries, used motor oil, pool, lawn and household chemicals, and more. Properly disposing of these items helps Huntsville keep our environment safe, clean and green.
On March 11, the hazardous waste drop-off takes place during a South Huntsville cleanup event, from 8 – 11 a.m. at the Sandra Moon Community Complex, 7901 Bailey Cove Road.
The March 18 hazardous waste drop-off is a drive-thru event at the Hays Nature Preserve, 7161 U.S. 431, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Along with discarding hazardous waste items, participants are invited to pitch in and assist with cleanup projects around South Huntsville clean up. Green Team will provide supplies and direct volunteers to sites in need.