COUNTY HOSTS HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY

Are hidden dangers lurking in your home?
Cleansers, pesticides and other chemicals make our lives more convenient, but they can also pose health risks.
To help local residents get rid of unused or unneeded hazardous waste products in their homes, Clatsop County is hosting a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2320 SE 12th Place, Warrenton, at Western Oregon Waste’s administrative office near the Astoria Airport.
County residents can bring in a variety of toxic, flammable and other materials for disposal at no charge at what organizers say will become an annual event.
The following items are examples of what will be accepted:
• Bug, weed, pest killers
• Poisons, cleaners, batteries,
• Paints, stains, thinners, solvents, wood preservatives
• Car and boat fluids, gas, antifreeze
• Mercury-containing thermometers, fluorescent light tubes, compact fluorescent bulbs
• Home arts, photography, hobby supplies and more

Items NOT accepted:
• Medical waste, including syringes and other “sharps”
• Medications
• Explosives
• Radioactive waste
• Business waste*
*A collection time for businesses that generate less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste a year, designated as Conditionally Exempt Generators, will be held June 10 by appointment only, no drop-ins will be accepted. For CEG registration call Clean Harbors Environmental Services at (503) 305-2158 or email ranf.alan@cleanharbors.com
The Collection Event is the product of the Clatsop County Household Hazardous Waste Program, a collaborative project between the county, cities, Western Oregon Waste and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive strategy for reducing and properly disposing of residential hazardous waste.
Initial plans envisioned the construction of a permanent local facility dedicated to handling hazardous materials. The program’s short term goals are to hold regular collection events alternating between north and south county locations. The longer-term vision of a hazardous waste collection center will be assessed at a later time.
The program is funded by a small surcharge on all the solid waste going through WOW’s Transfer Station in Astoria.
According to Maureen Taylor, Household Hazardous Waste Program Coordinator, “our mission is to provide a safe, easy way for residents to dispose of toxic dangerous products accumulating around their home. We know this will decrease accidental poisoning and injuries to our children and pets, prevent unnecessary exposure to our waste haulers and fire fighter that come into contact with hazardous chemicals on the job, and decrease environmental damages that occur when people improperly discard hazardous wastes into the sewer, storm drains or on the ground.”
“I encourage residents to use the next couple of weeks to do a spring clean out of hazardous products they have not used in the last year,” she said. “Keep them in their original containers, secure with lids, place them in boxes out of reach of children and pets in readiness for the collection day. Bring them to the event any time from 9 a.m. to 3 pm. We can all start the summer with a new focus on using less hazardous, green products for our collective health and safety.
Suggestions to keep the amount of hazardous materials in your home to a minimum:
• Buy non-toxic alternatives whenever possible
• Buy only what you need
• Store products in a safe place and keep in original containers, closed securely
• Use up entire product or give away unused product to someone who will use it

Clean Harbors, a large national Hazardous Waste Management Company, is contracted by the county to safely collect, transport and legally dispose of all materials collected at the Clatsop County event. Disposal methods vary depending on the item: oil, fuel and oil-based paints are burned as fuel; car batteries, latex paint and antifreeze are recycled; and pesticides and poisons are destroyed by incineration.
For more information, call Clatsop County Public Health at (503) 325-8500.