It's that time again: Spring cleaning. Out with the old and in with the new. But what do you do with the old if it is hazardous? One answer is to take part in your spring and fall Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection events.
Each town hosts two of these events each year, at which disposal of hazardous waste is free to residents. Contact your town office for details. Bennington will hold the first event on May 10. Arlington, Dorset, Manchester, Rupert, Sandgate, and Sunderland will hold events on June 7 and Oct. 11. Pownal, Shaftsbury and Stamford will hold events on June 21 and Oct. 11.
Such collection events are necessary, because even a seemingly harmless mothball is considered hazardous. And, what about the cleaners, sprays, polishes, paints, and auto fluids that we use on a daily basis? Chances are you will be surprised to find that many everyday household items are considered hazardous and require a proper disposal method (and that doesn't mean throwing these items in your garbage can).
Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury and require proper disposal. Read the packaging (and the fine print on the bulb) carefully; if it contains mercury, it will be labeled with Hg. Fluorescent bulbs, batteries from calculators, watches, hearing aids, rechargeable NiCad batteries, thermostats and thermometers normally all contain mercury and require proper disposal. Standard alkaline batteries are not considered hazardous and can be thrown into your regular trash. Read on to find out how to properly dispose of hazardous waste. More info can be found at www.mercvt.org.
Before purchasing bulbs, cleaners, sprays, paints and thermometers, be sure to check the label Ñ if it is considered hazardous, it could end up costing you more (monetarily and environmentally) to dispose of it than it did to buy it in the first place. Weigh the pros and cons of purchasing that item, and consider non-toxic alternatives for cleaning supplies, insect killers and animal detractors. If you purchase an air conditioner, consider how you will dispose of it appropriately when that time comes. Air conditioners may contain refrigerants (freon is one such) which, when released, can impact the ozone layer.
A major contributor to our landfills is known as E-Waste. Who doesn't have an old computer, microwave, or cell phone lying around that they don't know what to do with? With the changes in technology today, electronics equipment quickly becomes obsolete and we should recycle this equipment rather than simply sending it to our landfills. Some towns now offer E-Waste, scrap metal, and freon item disposal programs for residents.
Is your garage filled with half-empty cans of paint? Latex paint is considered hazardous in its liquid state, but when allowed to dry to a solid, it becomes non-hazardous and can be disposed of in your regular trash. Oil and lead-based paint are considered hazardous. Used motor oil is accepted daily at most transfer stations, and used automotive batteries are accepted at most auto parts stores.
What about medical household needles, such as for a diabetic, and other "sharps"? Store them in a heavy duty container, such as a Tide bottle with a cap, and throw it away in your regular trash. Be sure sharp items are separately contained within your garbage bag so as not to rip through the bag.
If you still are not sure if a particular material is hazardous, check the label for words like Warning, Danger, Poison, or Caution, and be proactive in non-hazardous purchasing decisions. Please do your part to make our environment safer, cleaner, and healthier!
Lissa works for the Bennington County Regional Commission. She serves on the Board of Supervisors of the Bennington County Conservation District, whose mission is promoting rural livelihoods and protecting natural resources in Southwestern Vermont. She can be reached at 442-0713, ext. 2, or the Web site at www.bccdvt.org
This column appeared in the Bennington Banner in May 2008, as one of the BCCD's Conservation Currents pieces, a bi-weekly feature written by BCCD board and staff members since August 2006.