Waste Away: Dispose of hazardous household items and medications in safe, green ways

Think you're an environmentally responsible homeowner?

Let's do a little test.

If one of your CFLs, or compact fluorescent light bulbs, were to break or burn out, how would you dispose of it?

What about the television you just replaced, or the half-empty paint cans in your garage? How would you dispose of those items?

Although legal, the answer is not to just throw them into your trash bin or flush them down the toilet. Items such as CFL bulbs, electronics and other "household hazardous wastes" require special disposal in order to not pollute landfills and waterways.

If you were wondering: A household hazardous waste is defined as anything "poisonous, flammable, corrosive or toxic," according to the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. CFL bulbs fit the definition because they contain trace amounts of mercury. Many electronics also contain mercury, and some paints are made with toxic solvents and metals.

While health officials say awareness of proper disposal methods has grown the past few years, they believe the public and government can do a lot more when it comes to household hazardous waste.

Consider: Only a few counties in the state have official organized programs for the collection and disposal of hazardous products, according to Sam Schroyer with the Utah Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste.

Salt Lake County has the state's largest program, but its collection sites are not as convenient as the county would like, said Dorothy Adams with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. The county maintains sites at the Trans-Jordan and Salt Lake landfills and in Murray and Sandy.

Community collection events are also held during the summer months.

"We do get pretty good participation from people, but obviously, the more convenient you make it, the more you get people to participate," said Adams. "The landfills aren't the easiest places for people to go."

Each year, an average of 1 million pounds of hazardous waste is collected from Salt Lake-area homeowners, according to Adams. The items are either recycled, or picked up by outside waste contractors for proper disposal.

Last year, the county saved about $80,000 by recycling items such as paint, oils and antifreeze. But the overall cost of Salt Lake County's hazardous-waste program exceeds $800,000, according to Adams.

"People just don't think when they buy stuff," she said. "It's an expensive waste stream to properly dispose of."