Keeping it Green

WHAT TO DO WITH HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE?

Household hazardous waste is any substance that has the potential to injure people, pets or the environment through skin contact or ingestion. It is in your kitchen, basement, garage, shop or greenhouse, and here are some examples:

Paints, thinner, solvents, automotive fluids, products with mercury (thermometers, thermostats & fluorescent lights), adhesives, stains, cleaners, furniture stripper, ammonia, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, poisons, fertilizers, tree sprays, fuel carburetor cleaner, turpentine, etc. If they are not used properly as instructed on the label, or used completely, they have the potential to cause harm to you, your family, pets, neighbors and our drinking water. Ideally, conscientious consumers will purchase only the quantity that they need and will use that product responsibly until it is gone. The problem comes when we end up with products we won’t use and want to get rid of! Rural counties like ours have a variety of challenges, and one of them is getting rid of household hazardous waste.

Some larger communities have the budget to have permanent, ongoing household hazardous waste (HHW) collection programs. Other communities have annual or occasional collection events or paint exchanges. Many communities like ours, however, do not have the funds to offer such programs to their citizens. These events typically cost thousands of dollars due to the expensive processing costs of the hazardous materials collected. What can we do with this stuff in Sanders County?

PAINT: Take the lid off, let it completely dry, put in household trash. Try the Paint Exchange at the TFalls Transfer site April 25 & 27 during Beautification Days!

OIL: Take to the TFalls & Plains refuse sites year-round.

FERTILIZER, INSECTICIDES, ETC: One option might be to advertise products on the Sanders County Online Yard Sale. Slap a free sign on something and it’s amazing how fast it goes! One person’s junk is another’s treasure.

MISSOULA: Go to http://www.missoulacounty.us and type household hazardous waste in the search box. Click on the first article and you will find collection events and their helpful year-round disposal guide (it covers just about everything in the hazardous waste department).

KALISPELL: Go to flathead.mt.gov/waste/events.php to get more information on their hazardous waste day on the third Saturday of every month.

PHARMACEUTICAL DISPOSAL: Traditional wastewater treatment does not remove or break down pharmaceuticals. These drugs can be found at low levels in surface and groundwater. For this reason, pharmaceuticals should never be flushed down the drain. Doug’s Drugs 827-4349 in Thompson Falls and Plains Drugs 826-3552 in Plains both have drop-boxes for pills. Please call for any restrictions or special instructions.

MOVING FORWARD: For household cleaners, consider shopping for environmentally friendly, natural products or search online for simple recipes you can use to create your own. Be conservative and conscientious with your purchases, and check for your nearest household hazardous waste collection!