HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Have anything on the household hazardous waste list that you need to get rid of? Your chance comes on October 13.
Madison County Commission District 4 is hosting a Handle With Care Collection Day on October 13 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for Madison County residents.
Take your household hazardous waste items to the County Shed, located at 6084 Highway 53 in Harvest on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
According to the Solid Waste Disposal Authority, Safely disposing of household hazardous waste reduces the toxicity in local sewage treatment plants and storm drains, and lessens the risks of injuries caused by improper storage of hazardous waste in our homes.
This will be a free, drive-thru service with workers taking items from your cars.
ITEMS COLLECTED
Paint and Paint Related Products: Oil or water based paints, Mineral spirits, Turpentine and thinners, furniture strippers, paint removers, stains aerosols.
Automotive Products: Transmission fluid, brake fluid, Anti-freeze, Car batteries, used motor oil
Lawn & Garden Poisons: weed killers, liquids, powders, sprays, soaps, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, rodent poisons, and roach/flea powder.
Household Cleaners: oven cleaner, toilet cleaner, disinfectants, drain cleaners, rug and upholstery cleaners, floor and furniture polishes, ammonia or bleach-based products.
Old TVs and Computers: televisions, computers, computer monitors
Household Chemicals: Acids, pool chemicals, photographic chemicals, solvents, household batteries, mercury thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent lights- both CFLs and linear
Medicines
For more information, please contact our office at (256) 852-8351.
Many items in your home could be considered hazardous household waste, and that's fine - but what's important is disposing of them properly.
For starters, what is hazardous household waste?
Well, the EPA defines it as leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances or items that are corrosive or toxic.
One item that Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) really wants people to keep out of their trash cans?
Lithium batteries - mainly because they can eventually find their way into our water supply.
"A lot of things can start fires - your lithium batteries are a big one, it's a growing thing in the world and it's a growing problem. Everyone has them, they're in every device. And if lithium mixes with water, you've got a serious fire hazard," said SWDA facility operator Andrew Wilson.
One of their missions is keeping this waste out of landfills.
"It keeps it out of the environment, out of the soil, out of water that we drink every day. I mean you go to the store a lot of the water that we drink is basically recycled so we want to keep it out of the landfill, so I don't contaminate our waters, our food, things that farmers use to grow, which is their soil and crop so," said SWDA HHW operator Joseph Garrett.
Taking these tips seriously helps set an example for future generations.
"We have a lot of participation and obviously you know the more participation, the more the cleanup that we're doing really will make an impact and you know we'd like to be you know, set an example for future, you know generations to have more of this make it more commonly available," said SWDA HHW Administrator Sean Johnson.
These tips also help provide future generations a world worth living in.
"Well, it may not affect us as much as it's gonna affect future generations. You don't want your children or your grandchildren growing up in a world where they can't drink the water," said Wilson.
For a full list of items accepted, click here.
