Save the Day, Don’t Throw it Away

What is household hazardous waste, and what should you do with it? Hazardous waste is any type of waste that poses a threat to human health or the environment. When hazardous waste is disposed of through traditional means, such as down the drain or in the garbage, chemicals and other pollutants can harm the local environment by infiltrating the ground water and soil. Leon County is dedicated to protecting our environment by decreasing these toxic landfill items with monthly Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection events. During our last collection season, 3,725 citizen superheroes dropped off 55.1 tons of hazardous waste and 42.9 tons of electronic scrap at our collection events. This year, we hope to increase this number even further. Hazardous waste heroes can drop off household hazardous items at the Household Hazardous Waste & Electronics Collection event, held each first Saturday of the month, September through May. Citizens may also drop off hazardous waste at the Leon County Hazardous Waste Center during normal business hours—Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Some common examples of hazardous waste include batteries, chemicals, light bulbs, electronics, car fluids and mercury thermometers. Frequently, these items are flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic, and it’s important to remember that they should be disposed of at the appropriate hazardous waste collection sites. It might surprise you that many common items found in the home are considered hazardous waste. For example, consider the items listed below:

Beauty Products

Common chemicals found in hair dyes, nail polishes and removers are highly toxic to fish and wildlife and can negatively impact water quality and soil when not disposed of properly. To ensure that your beauty products don’t make their way into our water bodies and soil, consider creating your own hazardous waste box, and place all your used hair dye, nail polish bottles and nail polish remover inside it. Make sure to keep the lids and caps on tightly to prevent items from mixing, as this can make it more difficult to properly recycle.

Electronics

Some electronics can contain harmful materials such as lead, chromium, brominated flame retardants, and other harmful materials that break down and release toxic dioxins into the air and groundwater. Instead of throwing them away, bring your old TVs, laptops, cell phones and radios to a hazardous waste collection event or your local electronic store for recycling and disposal. Many electronic stores will take electronic waste, including appliances, and will either repurpose them or recycle them.

Medical Waste

Medical waste includes medical sharps (needles and syringes) and prescription medications. Both of these items are hazardous, and improper disposal, such as throwing these items in the garbage or flushing them down the toilet, can contaminate the environment, injure citizens or workers or even end up in the hands of the wrong people. It is vital to properly dispose of unused or unwanted prescriptions in a way that is safe for the environment, citizens and their pets, and for our waste workers. The Hazardous Waste Center cannot currently accept medical waste. However, the Florida Health Department in Leon County, 1515 Old Bainbridge Rd, offers a free medical sharps collection program that allows for the safe disposal of medical sharps, and Leon County currently has five permanent Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) authorized collection locations for unused prescriptions:

Tallahassee Police Department (234 E 7^th Ave)
Walgreens (1202 N. Magnolia Drive)
Walgreens (3531 Thomasville Road)
Walgreens (2009 W. Tennessee Street)
CVS (5466 Thomasville Road N.)

If the pharmacy closest to you is not listed above, you can ask your pharmacist about DisposeRX packets. When used properly, these packets will allow you to safely dispose of old or unwanted medications at home. Learn more at LeonCountyfl.gov/medical-waste.

The Hazardous Waste Center cannot currently accept Styrofoam or bulky items such as appliances, furniture, yard waste and construction and demolition debris. Some Styrofoam, such as egg crates, can be recycled at local grocery stores, but most must be thrown away. Furniture and appliances can be picked up by Waste Pro on a call-in basis while yard waste can be placed in paper bags for pick-up. Yard waste must not be higher than six feet high, four inches in diameter and four feet wide.

In order to combat improper disposal of household hazardous waste, Leon County Solid Waste Management Division encourages citizen superheroes to save the day, don’t throw it away! For more information, call the Leon County Hazardous Waste Center at (850) 606-1803 or visit www.LeonCountyFL.gov/HHW for the complete collection schedule and safe packing guide.