Tri-County Health Department will operate two separate Household Chemical and Electronic Waste Roundup events for Adams County in 2011:· May 7, Hyland Hills Water World, 88th and Pecos in Federal Heights. 9:00am – 3:00pm.
· September 24, Thornton Infrastructure Maintenance Center (IMC) Facility, 12450
Washington Street in Thornton. 9:00am – 3:00pm.
In 2010, a total of 1,020 Adams County households participated in Adams County’s Household Chemical and Electronic Waste Roundups, safely disposing of more than 45 tons of hazardous materials. This included 5,448 pounds of pesticides, 225 pounds of mercury-containing devices, 2,583 gallons of hazardous liquids, 21,177 pounds of electronic waste, and more than 30 tons of paint and paint products. If not for the Roundups, this waste might have ended up in creeks and rivers or disposed of illegally on other people’s property. Participants at the Roundups may get rid of leftover paint and paint products, motor oil, antifreeze, vehicle batteries, rechargeable batteries, household cleaners, lawn and garden chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), scrap metal, fire extinguishers, items containing mercury, propane tanks, and passenger and pickup truck tires. Residents may also recycle electronic products such as computers, televisions, cell phones, VCRs, DVD players, and other similar products. There is a $5 charge for PC monitors and a $10 charge for any size TV. All other electronic devices, including Samsung TVs, are free to recycle.
People do not have to get out of their vehicles as they drive through the Roundup, since volunteers help unload the materials. The events are offered free-of-charge to residents, except for the additional charges for electronics, and a $2 charge per tire. A contribution of $20 per participant is requested to help offset the high costs of hazardous waste disposal which can cost more than $100 per household through a private company.
The Roundups cannot accept waste from businesses, and are not able to accept radioactive waste, smoke detectors, oil drums, asbestos or explosives. Additionally, residents with water-based latex paint products are encouraged to dry the paint at home using an absorbent such as kitty litter, sand or dirt, and then dispose of the solidified paint with their regular garbage. This will significantly help lower the Roundup’s disposal costs.
There will be a FREE Drop-and-Swap area where people can leave or take household cleaners, paint products, car wax, antifreeze, fertilizer and garden products that are still in their original containers. Sharing these products helps the environment, since the products get used up, rather than becoming part of landfill trash. The Drop-and-Swap also helps reduce the Roundup’s disposal costs.
The events are open to residents of Brighton, Commerce City, Federal Heights, Thornton, and Unincorporated Adams County. Participants will be asked for a driver’s license, water bill, utility bill or phone bill to verify residence in Adams County or one of the participating cities.
Note: The Cities of Aurora, Northglenn, and Westminster are not participating in these events this year. Consequently, residents of these cities cannot bring waste to the roundup events this year and will be refused entrance. This does not affect residents of Unincorporated Adams County that have Aurora, Northglenn or Westminster addresses, since anyone in Unincorporated Adams County is eligible to attend. For more information, residents of Northglenn should call 303-450-4004; residents of Aurora should call 303-739-7372; and residents of Westminster should call 303-706-3362.
Volunteers are greatly needed at the events to help with registration, vehicle off-load, and waste processing. Volunteers are provided with free food throughout the day, a gift for helping out at the event, and are allowed to dispose of their waste for free. Individuals and groups interested in helping with either of these events should call 720-200-1592.
The Household Chemical and Electronic Waste Roundups are sponsored by Adams County; the cities of Brighton, Commerce City, Federal Heights, and Thornton; Darling International; Tetra Tech, Thermo Fluids, Waste Connections of Colorado; and Tri-County Health Department. For more information, visit www.tchd.org/householdchemical.htm or call the 24-hour Household Chemical Roundup Infoline at 303-846-6249. Recorded information is available in both English and Spanish.
