Safe way to discard hazardous waste offered

Posted by Press Release on October 4, 2015

Chester County is offering residents a safe way to dispose of household hazardous waste.

All seventy-three Chester County municipalities are participating in the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program, which will set up a drop-off site on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Government Services complex, 601 Westtown Rd., West Chester. The collection site will open at 9 a.m. and close promptly at 3 p.m., a press release from the Chester County Solid Waste Authority said.

This collection is not for businesses or contractors. Households will be limited to 220 pounds or 25 gallons of hazardous products. Hazardous cleaning and maintenance products will have the following cautionary words on the label: poisonous, caustic, toxic, flammable, ignitable, corrosive, reactive, caution, warning, danger or hazardous, the release said.

No electronics, TVs, appliances, or items containing Freon will be accepted. Other unacceptable materials include latex paint, used motor oil, tires, asbestos, explosives, gas cylinders, alkaline batteries, PCBs, medical waste, unidentified waste, commercial and industrial, explosives, and ammunition.

Latex paint is not a hazardous material; it should be solidified by air-drying small quantities or pouring the paint into a plastic trash bag with sawdust, clay-based kitty litter or rags and placing the bag and the opened can in the trash. Oil-based paint should be brought to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event. Alkaline batteries may be put in the trash.

Be prepared to take back your clean corrugated boxes to recycle at your curb and dispose of Styrofoam in the trash.

Interested residents can visit www.chestercountyswa.org or call their municipality or the Chester County Solid Waste Authority at 610-273-3771, ext. 228 for information on how to properly handle unacceptable materials and for the other regional collection events scheduled.