Household Hazardous Waste Program

Household Waste Guide

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Everyone has hazardous products (like paint thinner, gasoline, bathroom cleaners, oil-based paint, and pesticides) at home that have accumulated over the years. If you don’t use these things up, dispose of them properly to minimize risks to your family, pets, home and community. If not safely disposed of, these harmful household products have the potential to catch on fire, corrode, explode or be inappropriately used, ultimately harming a person, pet or the environment.

Participate in the Household Hazardous Waste Program

Household hazardous waste is accepted weekdays at four centers around the county (see the locations below) by appointment so that you can drop it off quickly, safely and efficiently. This is done by limiting the number of appointments that can be made for each time segment of a collection event. If one time segment for the event is full, you can choose another appointment time.

Scheduling an appointment is easy! • email us • call us at (616)336-2570

Saturday collections are also scheduled each year. No appointment is needed for Saturday collections, but if you have a large amount of material to dispose of or if you have containers larger than 5 gallons, please call ahead. The schedule for 2008 is below:

2008 Saturday Household Hazardous Waste Collections

Alpine Township Residents Only ID required	April 26, 2008 9am until noon
Kentwood Residents Only ID required	May 3, 2008 9am until 3pm
Grand Rapids 1500 Scribner Open to all Kent County residents	May 31, 2008 9am until noon
North Kent Transfer Station 2908 Ten Mile Road, Rockford Open to all Kent County residents	June 21, 2008 9am until noon
Kentwood 5068 Breton Open to all Kent County residents	July 19, 2008 9am until noon
Grand Rapids 1500 Scribner Open to all Kent County residents	August 9, 2008 9am until noon
North Kent Transfer Station 2908 Ten Mile Road, Rockford Open to all Kent County residents	August 23, 2008 9am until noon
Kentwood 5068 Breton Open to all Kent County residents	September 13, 2008 9am until noon
North Kent Transfer Station 2908 Ten Mile Road, Rockford Open to all Kent County residents	October 11, 2008 9am until noon
Grand Rapids 1500 Scribner Open to all Kent County residents	October 25, 2008 9am until noon

The Kent County Department of Public Works has 4 permanent collection sites in the County located at:

• Kentwood
• Rockford
• Northwest Grand Rapids
• Wyoming

These sites allow us to offer year-round collections for residents across Kent County.

In 2007, the Kent County Household Hazardous Waste Program collected more than 129,000 pounds of household hazardous waste from 2,453 households. This averages about 53 pounds of hazardous ‘stuff’ from each home every year. Dispose of your household hazardous waste before it accumulates!

We store hazardous products in drums in these divided sheds build specifically for hazardous materials. Each section safely stores corrosive products, poisons and flammable liquids. A fire suppression system is installed in each container in case a spark or chemical reaction causes a fire.

There are two ways to make an appointment in the HHW program:

1. Request an appointment online for our weekly collections. Your appointment will be confirmed via email or telephone.
   
2. Call and schedule an appointment for our weekly collections: 1 (888) 217-2850 or (616) 336-2570.
   When you make your appointment, we’ll ask you:
   
   1. The types and general quantities of materials you want to dispose of (if you have any 5-gallon buckets; approximately how many paint cans you have; if you have pesticides, cleaners, fluorescent light bulbs, etc.)
   2. The center you’d like to come to. Each center is staffed on different days during the week, so we take appointments at each one.

The rest is simple – just transport the materials to the collection site at your scheduled time and let the staff person handle the rest!

What is Hazardous Waste? A product is considered hazardous if it has one or more of the following properties: Toxic - poisonous or lethal when ingested, touched or inhaled; Flammable - ignitable and burns easily; Corrosive - eats through materials & living tissue; or Reactive - can possibly explode or react with other chemicals.

How to prepare your household hazardous materials for transportation:

1. Wear protective gloves when handling hazardous materials.
2. Make sure all containers have lids and are securely closed. Do not transport open or leaking containers.
3. Place any material in a leaking container in a secure, labeled container.
4. If the material is not in the original container, label the current container with the product name or ingredient and make sure the container is safe for transport. Be sure to notify the Kent County staff person of unlabeled or mis-marked containers.
5. Do not mix different chemicals together.
6. Place material upright in a box or boxes with a good bottom - do not place material in garbage bags or loose in your vehicle.
7. Place the box of material on the floor or in the trunk of your vehicle.
8. Do not place near children or pets while transporting the material to the collection!

If you have a substance that cannot be accepted, see our online household waste guide for other options on how to dispose of it.

Materials that CAN be accepted

Automotive Products Antifreeze Gasoline and other fuel Carburetor cleaner Motor oil Fuel Additive Starter fluid Transmission and brake fluid Wax & Cleaner Other automotive fluids	Cleaning Products Bleach (laundry) Degreaser & Spot Remover Drain cleaner Oven cleaner Polish & Wax Toilet & drain cleaner Tub, tile, shower cleaner Wood and metal cleaners and polish Ammonia Other household cleaners
Indoor Pesticides Insect spray Flea repellent and shampoo Houseplant fertilizer Moth repellent Mouse and rat poisons and baits Other pesticides & fertilizers	Lawn and Garden Products Fertilizer Fungicide Herbicide Insecticide Pesticide Wood Preservative Ant dust Mosquito spray Other lawn & garden products
Workshop /Painting Supplies Oil-based paint & stain Adhesive, caulking & glue Deck, patio & chimney cleaner Furniture stripper Paint stripper and remover Solvent cleaning fluid Roof coating, sealant Thinner and turpentine	Other Flammable Products Diesel fuel Gas/oil mix Home heating oil (call to get details on size & quantity limits) Kerosene Lighter fluid Propane tanks (small, non-refillable tanks only) White gas Other flammable products
Miscellaneous Aerosol cans Batteries Fluorescent light bulbs, including CFL bulbs Inks and Dyes Mercury thermostats or thermometers Photo developer chemicals Pool chemicals Fire Extinguishers

Materials that CANNOT be accepted

• Latex paint (water based) – may be dried out and placed in your regular trash.
• Friable asbestos – Call the local Michigan Department of Environmental Quality at (616) 356-0500 for proper removal guidelines and disposal requirements and regulations.
• Barrels or large drums - nothing larger than a five-gallon container.
• Explosives, ammunition, fireworks and flares – contact your local public safety agency (sheriff’s department, police department, state police)
• Materials from farms, businesses, offices, schools or institutions.
• Medical waste
• Smoke detectors and radioactive materials
• Propane, helium & other tanks (refillable)

HHW Reduction, Reuse, Recycle, and Disposal Options

The actions of reducing, reusing, recycling, and properly disposing - listed in order of EPA's preferred waste management hierarchy – are all important tools to safely manage hazardous waste.

The following suggestions can help reduce hazardous wastes in your home:

• Before you buy a product, read the label and make sure that it will do what you want. Once you buy something you are also responsible for disposing of it properly.
• Do not buy more than what you need. That way, you will not need to dispose of the surplus.
• Read and follow directions on how to use a product and dispose of the container.

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