While only antifreeze, batteries, oil and paint can be dropped off at the county's pick-up locations in Murray and Sandy, homeowners can dispose of most other toxic products at the landfill collection sites, excluding medical waste, explosives, old tires and items with radioactive materials, such as smoke detectors.

People looking to dispose of old medications and used needles are encouraged to contact their local police station to see if it has a collection program. If nothing is available, homeowners are asked to place old drugs and needles in a sealed container, mix them with something unappealing, such as kitty litter, and then dispose of the items in the regular trash.

Prescription drugs are considered narcotics, so that is why public-health officials recommend they be concealed.

From Schroyer's perspective, it is critical that medicines and other household hazards be disposed of properly. Prescription drugs, for instance, are thought to contaminate water supplies if flushed down the toilet.

"There have been a lot of tests throughout the country of water contamination based on drugs being put into the water systems," Schroyer said.

Likewise, little is known about the long-term effects of hazardous wastes thrown into landfills.

Doug Sims, a lab-pack chemist with the Salt Lake Valley Landfill, said he sees countless people who throw away still-usable items. Both he and Adams recommend that people only purchase what they need of an item and then think of ways they can be more "green" with how they clean or care for their homes.

"It blows you away what people bring in" that is still usable, Sims said. "People just don't think a lot. They just throw."

At the Salt Lake Valley Landfill, hazardous wastes are sorted and then placed into large barrels or bins to be picked up for disposal or recycling. People can dispose of their waste for free, and it usually takes a minute or two for them to unload their items.

Still, none of the waste disposed will actually ever dissappear, said Adams. That's why she encourages people to be mindful of what they use.

"Even if you throw it away, it never goes away," said Adams. "It becomes someone else's problem."

E-mail: nwarburton@desnews.com