April 12
Household hazardous wastes (HHW) are products in your home and garage that are poisonous, flammable, corrosive, or toxic. They can include your cleaning supplies, weed killers, pesticides, fluorescent tubes, paints and paint thinners, gasoline, batteries, used oil and antifreeze.
After you complete your inventory, think of ways you could reduce your use of hazardous waste. Make sure you need the chemical before you buy it and buy only what you need. Buy less toxic products and use safer alternatives to chemicals whenever possible.
Items you no longer use should be recycled at a proper disposal facility, not thrown into your trash can. You can recycle your household hazardous wastes at several permanent facilities in Salt Lake County or take it to a collection day event in your area.
If you live in Utah County, the Utah County Health Department is holding a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day TODAY from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Provo Towne Center Mall. Contact your local health department or local department of solid waste management for events in your area.
Items brought in for disposal at permanent facilities are handled in several ways. Reusable items such as paint, fertilizers, and pesticides are offered free to the public at the Reuse Center at the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Management Facility. Items that are not reusable but can be recycled are sorted and shipped to recycling manufacturers to become paint primers, caulking, and lubricants. Items that cannot be reused are sent to facilities where they are safely destroyed.