UF/IFAS
Okeechobee Extension Service
458
Highway 98 North
Okeechobee,
FL 34972-2578
Phone:
(863) 763-6469
E-
mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
November
8, 2007
Feature Article - for release the
week of November 11, 2007
Dan Culbert - Extension
Horticulture Agent
| Quick Links: Why Amnesty Day? Checklist Don'ts Transporting References |
Free Your Yard of
Hazardous Waste!
Homeowners getting ready for the Christmas will soon be
searching the garage and shed for all those wonderful
holiday decorations. While
the search is going on, it is a good time to rid your
Florida Yard of all kinds of stuff that doesn’t need to
be there.
Okeechobee’s Solid Waste Department is holding a
Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Days this coming
Saturday, November 17th.
It’s a chance to dispose of wastes that can cause
problems for people, pets and the environment.
Take these problems out of your garage and get them to
the county's vehicle maintenance facility (306 NW 9th
Ave.) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Today’s column outlines the
kinds of materials they can take and offers some tips on
how to safely get them there.
Why
bother with Hazardous Waste?
Hazardous wastes should not be put into the regular
household trash collections.
Amnesty Days provide a way for residents to get rid
of this stuff for free. The Solid Waste Department can
then keep these materials out of the landfill, and avoid
expensive accidents and clean-up costs when this stuff is
abandoned by the side of the road.
Several years ago, I was employed by a research
facility. My job included cleaning up years of
unused and unknown lab chemicals and pesticides.
Over the years, containers were shoved to the back of the
shelf, bottles cracked and leaked, bags and boxes got
moist and caked, and labels became unreadable. When it
came time to renovate the building, these materials had to
first be removed. And
since we had no idea what some of these materials were,
they were considered hazardous materials.
To a hazardous waste contractor, unknowns mean "lots of money". Technicians get dressed up
in expensive protective
gear, take samples and run expensive
tests to try to find out what it may be.
Then they place the wastes into special (expensive)
containers that will take these problems to their final
destinations - big expensive
incinerators, or big expensive
hazardous waste landfills. (Did I mention that disposing
of unknown hazardous wastes is expensive?)
Hazardous Wastes can be prevented. Here’s how: when purchasing chemicals, buy only what is needed for right now. Buying more may seem to save money, but if only a little bit of the container is used, the rest is wasted. This costs the purchaser money, including disposal costs.
Besides, many chemicals will break down if not stored
properly under cool dry conditions - and not many folks
will air-condition their shed or garage. If you have
excess chemicals that someone else could properly use,
give them away. And if the container was never
opened in the first place, see if the store will take it
back.
The kinds of materials being collected this Saturday include the obvious: pesticides, cleaning solvents, pool chemicals, or petroleum products. But it can also include other kinds of household products:
* Used motor oil, old gasoline, transmission and brake fluids, or other fuel mixtures, plus oil filters.
* Oil-based paints (that are cleaned up with turpentine or mineral spirits - flammable). Latex paints (cleanup with water) are not hazardous – cans can be left open to dry out, and then placed into the regular garbage pickup.
* mercury-based thermometers or thermostats (with the silver stuff, not the red stuff)
* weed and feed fertilizers (the ones that have been sitting in the back of the shed for many years, and are as hard as rocks. And stating in January, new fertilizer laws may make some lawn and garden products obsolete.
* That secret supply of insecticide that you got from your friend who used to work for a pest control company, who gave it to you "just in case."
* Batteries - both the larger ones used in vehicles and the small ones found in flashlights and portable appliances. Both contain caustic chemicals or heavy metals that can contaminate our environment.
* Used tires will be accepted, but only four per household.
* Explosives or fireworks, ammunition, propane tanks, radioactive materials, asbestos materials and Biomedical/Infectious Wastes are not being accepted. Neither will Automobile or Marine parts of any kind be collected.
* No propane tanks can be accepted - propane vendors will be happy to accept these items.
* This program is for Residential Waste disposal. If you are an employee or business owner with hazmats, you will have to contact a hazardous waste contractor to have these materials properly disposed of. Farmers and ranches can contact our offices for other disposal options. Businesses that have hazardous materials to dispose of may also bring them to Amnesty Day, but expect to pay the going rates for hazmat disposal as set by the contractor for this program. If you need help finding a contractor, contact the county Solid Waste Department or the FDEP in WPB for suggestions.
* This program is for Okeechobee County residents only. (I’m told that if it arrives on site and is on the list, they will probably take it.) Residents of other areas should contact their county for similar hazmat disposal programs.
Transporting
Household Hazardous Waste
*
If you have a leaker, put it into a larger
bucket or heavy duty plastic bag. If the label is
intact, use a permanent marker to label the bag or bucket
with the name of the product. Leakers may
contaminate your vehicle if they are not adequately
wrapped up and tied down.
Don’t pile them on top of the golf clubs or the
craft supplies in the trunk – we don’t need this stuff
to get contaminated and become hazardous waste as well.
*
Carefully place your contributions into the
back of a pickup or the trunk of the car.
Do not transport these materials in the cab or on
the floor where passengers may come in contact with it.
Drive slowly and carefully to the County's vehicle
Maintenance facility, 206 NW 9th Avenue in
Okeechobee from 9 AM to 3 PM on Saturday November 17th.
Let’s see if we can beat the record of 150 vehicles
and 50 drums of stuff that was turned in at last April’s
Amnesty Day. And,
if you don’t do it now, you will have less space to
store your Christmas decorations - you will have to keep
this stuff until spring when the next Amnesty Day will be
held.
If you have any questions about the County’s Amnesty
day, you can review the rules at the county’s
solid waste website, or call Russell
Rowland at 863-763-1811. If you need additional
information on reducing or handling hazardous waste, see
the on-line references at our website http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu
or give your County Extension office a call. Master
Gardeners can answer your questions about your Florida
Yard - call or visit on Tuesday afternoons here at
our office., or stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North.
Our phone number is (863) 763-6469, and you can email us
at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu.GO
GATORS!
-30-
Hornsby, A. Avoid Hazardous Household Products. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Water Primer Webpage, undated.
Neisheim, O.N. Pesticide and Container Disposal for Homeowners. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet PI-27, August 2002.
ibid, Proper Disposal of Pesticide Wastes. Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service Fact Sheet PI-18, 8/2000.
Rowland,
Russell. Okeechobee County Solid Waste (website).
11/7/07. http://www.co.okeechobee.fl.us/Solid%20Waste%20Website/AmnestyDay.html
Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida. Larry A. Arrington, Dean. Last update: 11/08/2007. This page is maintained by Dan Culbert