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How homeowners can dispose of hazardous waste

Gary Dymski | Home Work

March 20, 2008

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The voice on the other end of the phone was frantic. The woman could not find out how to properly dispose of her burned-out compact fluorescent lightbulb. "It has large amounts of mercury, doesn't it?" she asked. "So shouldn't it be properly disposed of?" When I told her that her CFL contained the same amount of mercury as the head of a ballpoint pen, she didn't believe me. "Honest," I told her. "Look it up."

While the caller's intentions were good - properly disposing of household hazardous waste can go a long way toward keeping our groundwater and soil environmentally safe - it is OK to toss the odd CFL into the household trash.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has guidelines to cover disposing of hazardous waste materials by businesses and large industrial facilities. But when it comes to residences, it's usually left up to the individual. Oh, there are regulations in place, but there is no way to enforce them when it comes to households, says Lori O'Connell, a DEC spokeswoman. "We encourage residents to take advantage of their town programs," O'Connell says. "Many towns and villages set aside collection days for gathering hazardous materials, like paints, solvents and other things."

But, really, we're pretty much guided by our conscience, aren't we? "That's true," O'Connell says.

Gary Dymski Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

So, if like my recent caller you are concerned about the effects of putting small amounts chemicals into our landfills, then consider using your community- run household hazardous waste program to dispose of such items. With spring cleaning around the corner, it's probably a good time to review options on disposing of household waste.

On Long Island, two towns - Brookhaven and Huntington - have permanent facilities for dropping off household waste. In Brookhaven, the dump is at 350 Horseblock Rd. (631-451- 6222); in Huntington, the facility is at 641 New York Ave. (631-427-6377). Nonresidents can dispose of materials at the Brookhaven site, but there are charges. Huntington's is open to residents.

Other towns and villages set aside special dates when residents can drop off items such as old paint, cleaning solvents, pesticides, auto fluids and batteries. If you can't find information on your town or village site, call the Department of Environmental Conservation's Region 1 office at 631-444-0375 or write to dshmwrr@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

Why worry about hazardous waste? The DEC does, in large amounts, because of the damage chemicals can do to the environment, especially groundwater. Chemicals leak into aquifers and contaminate drinking water. Dust from pesticides can contaminate the air. If not disposed of properly, some materials can injure sanitation workers.

At our house, we usually separate old hazardous items into two or three large plastic containers, such as the five-gallon buckets that once stored pool chlorine. I toss old alkaline batteries and some of my dead nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries - used to power cordless tools - into one bucket for disposal at a later date. Even though alkaline batteries, like CFLs, can be discarded in the trash, I like to set them aside. Often, I find a recycling bucket at a hardware store or appliance giant. I've also got about four or five gallons of old paint in the corner of the basement that have to go.

One of the best steps is to visitwww.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8485.html. The DEC site has links to programs and offers tips on reducing waste.