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 Memorial Day, May 27, 2013: No County-provided recycling or trash collections on May 27; all pickups this week slide by one day. Transfer Station closed May 27. Shred your confidential documents at our Community Paper Shredding event - June 8 (Rockville) |
Talking Trash |
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Friday, September 17, 2010Prescription Drug Take-Back Day - Saturday, September 25, 2010Is your medicine cabinet home to expired, unused, or unwanted prescription drugs? Bring these items to one of three local Prescription Drug Take-Back Day drop-off sites on Saturday, September 25, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Participation is free and anonymous, with no questions asked. The Montgomery County Department of Police will have drop-off sites in Rockville and Bethesda. Read the Montgomery County news release.
The Rockville City Police Department will have a drop-off site at its police station. Read the Rockville news release.
Can't attend the Take-Back Day? Follow our instructions for how to dispose of medicine / prescription drugs. Not in Montgomery County? Find a Take-Back site near you. -- posted by Susanne Thursday, May 14, 2009We accept Household Hazardous Waste every dayYesterday, I had an email exchange with a County resident interested in participating in this Sunday's Household Hazardous Waste collection event in Silver Spring. He lives in Rockville, and wanted driving directions. I was happy to provide the directions. Given his Rockville location, I also gave him information about the Hazardous Waste drop-off point we have at the Solid Waste Transfer Station, which is available daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The resident replied: I thought they only take hazmats on days they announce. Not anymore! Thanks for the opportunity to clarify this information. We are pleased to have a permanent Hazardous Waste facility at the Transfer Station, making drop-off convenient any day of the week. And, there's an added bonus to using the Transfer Station drop-off: if you have any paint needs, take a few minutes to "shop" in the "Paint Store" we have there. The selection changes all the time, but the "price" does not! Choose from primers, interior paint, exterior paint and related products in a range of colors and finishes, all available at no charge to you. -- posted by Susanne Wednesday, March 25, 2009Our "Paint Store" is back open for the season
Look at all of those cans of paint, just waiting to be taken for use on an upcoming project! This morning, our "Paint Store" reopened at the Solid Waste Transfer Station. It closes for the winter because freezing temperatures can damage paint. Now that the temperatures are on the rise again, we've restocked the shelves, and organized them by paint type. Come and "shop" - all paint is available at no charge! All of the paint we (re)offer is usable paint which residents have brought to our Household Hazardous Waste Program for disposal. Rather than throwing it away as waste, we give it back to the community for painting needs large and small. -- posted by Susanne
Wednesday, March 18, 2009It's National Poison Prevention WeekThis week -- from March 15 to March 21, 2009 -- is National Poison Prevention Week. Did you know these facts about poisons?
Where should you turn for help? The National Capital Poison Center serves our area. Have a poison emergency? Call 1-800-222-1222 immediately for help at no charge! Some resources for poison prevention information:
If you find no-longer-needed or wanted poisons in your home, garage or garden, bring them to our Hazardous Waste program. Prevention is better than the cure! -- posted by Susanne Thursday, February 19, 2009How do we dispose of spray paint - latex & oil based?From our mailbag: How do we dispose of spray paint - latex & oil based? Thanks for asking, B. We have information for oil-based paint and latex- or water-based paint on our website. But, that applies for products applied with brushes or rollers. For advice specific to spray paint cans, I put your question to our Hazardous Waste program manager. Here is what I learned:
In addition to this advice... if there's an appreciable amount of product left in the can, and you no longer have a use for it, consider offering the can to your neighbors through your local Freecycle Network group. -- posted by Susanne
Thursday, November 20, 2008Compact fluorescent bulb recycling is now easierYesterday, I received this blog comment: You should never throw your cfl bulbs in the regular trash because it contains mercury. It takes just one teaspoon of mercury to contaminate a 20 acre lake forever. It is also illegal to throw them into the trash in many states. Were you writing in response to this blog entry about compact fluorescent light disposal? In the year that has passed since that entry was posted, our CFL recycling opportunities have expanded. We have identified eight local retail stores which accept residents' CFLs for recycling. That's in addition to the Hazardous Waste drop-off at our Solid Waste Transfer Station and our community Household Hazardous Waste collection events. (Our community events have ended for 2008; we'll post our 2009 schedule as soon as it's announced in the Spring.) We'll continue to update our map of local CFL recycling locations, and other CFL disposal tips as this information evolves. -- posted by Susanne Comment on this postMonday, October 06, 2008Save the date for America Recycles Day!Join millions of Americans nationwide in celebrating America Recycles Day on Saturday, November 15, 2008. America Recycles Day promotes the social, environmental and economic benefits of recycling and encourages more people to join the movement toward creating a better natural environment through increased recycling. We are participating on November 15th by hosting events at multiple locations throughout Montgomery County that will offer paper shredding, clothing and household goods donation, and household hazardous waste collection services for Montgomery County residents only; as well as provide information on reducing, reusing, and recycling waste and buying products made with recycled content. Watch our America Recycles Day webpage for details and updates. Or, call us at 240-777-6400 for more information. Even if you do not attend one of our County events, consider what you can do to increase your recycling or reduce the amount of waste you generate—every little bit makes a difference! -- posted by America Recycles Day Planning Team
Wednesday, July 09, 2008Hazardous Waste Collection announced for October 18, 2008Our first Fall 2008 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) community collection event is on the calendar! Saturday, October 18, 2008, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In addition to the HHW "satellite" events, we have our Household Hazardous Waste dropoff at the Solid Waste Transfer Station. That's open to you daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 04, 2008Our Hazardous Waste Program received an award for rechargeable battery recyclingYou have brought tons (literally!) of rechargeable batteries to us for recycling. Thank you! This afternoon, the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) gave us a 2007 “Regional Recycling Leadership Award” for our battery recycling program. Did you know that we received 6,300 pounds of rechargeable batteries in 2006? The estimates for 2007 are even higher. (Read the full news release) Three other programs were also given 2007 Regional Recycling Leadership Awards from the RBRC: Hennepin County Environmental Services in Minneapolis, the City of Austin (TX) Household Hazardous Waste Management Program and the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Environmental Management Division (NC). Congratulations to all! Learn more recycling rechargeable batteries in Montgomery County
Thursday, April 03, 2008We expanded our electronics recycling program!We began accepting televisions in October 2007. As of this week, we are now able to accept your small electronic items for recycling, too! Accepted items include cameras; telephones (including cell phones); cords, cables, chargers, electronic toys, VCRs, and more! Bring your electronic items to the Recycling area at our Solid Waste Transfer Station. Or, take them along to our Earth Day Celebration in Rockville on April 26, 2008 -- we'll have an electronics recycling container at the event!
CATEGORIES: Computers / Electronics , Hazardous Waste , News , Transfer Station
POSTED: 1:24:00 PM | 
Tuesday, March 18, 2008We had the correct answer on compact fluorescent bulb disposal on the first callWhat advice do local jurisdictions give their residents regarding proper disposal of broken compact fluorescent bulbs? The Consumer Unit at television station NBC4 put area governments to the test. The result of its investigation, "Cleaning Up CFL Bulbs", aired last week. Of the eight jurisdictions contacted,
Kudos to our Call Center staff! While we welcome calls, our instructions for compact fluorescent bulb disposal are available on our website at any time of the day.
Friday, November 09, 2007What's this about mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs?It's true: those energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs harbor a small amount of mercury within them. Because of the mercury, it's best to dispose of burned-out compact fluorescent bulbs as hazardous waste, and to clean up carefully if one breaks. Rick Dimont, our Hazardous Waste and Waste Reduction Program Manager, was interviewed in last night's WUSA9 TV news segment, titled "CFLs: Handle with Care." Monday, October 08, 2007We now recycle televisions at the Transfer StationHere's something I enjoyed doing on our website:
That's right - our recycling program has just expanded! Montgomery County has a brand-new television recycling program at our Solid Waste Transfer Station. The television recycling containers are located next to the fenced computer recycling area:
After just a few days of operation, many boxes have already been filled with televisions! The attendants at the Transfer Station are doing a great job of notifying residents of our new program when they spot televisions in the material those folks are unloading.
CATEGORIES: Computers / Electronics , Hazardous Waste , News , Recycling , Transfer Station
POSTED: 10:30:00 AM |
Wednesday, August 22, 2007Can I recycle my old TV or microwave?From our mail bag:Can old electronics, such as TVs and microwaves, be brought to household hazardous waste or to the transfer station? Thanks for your question, C.! Sorry, we do not accept small household electronic items -- such as TVs, microwaves, and phones, for example -- in either our electronics or hazardous waste programs. If the items still work, consider offering them to a neighbor on your local Freecycle group, or using our Use It Again guide for donation ideas. If they do not work, please dispose of them as trash or (recyclable!) scrap metal. Depending on the size of your items, and how many you have to dispose of at one time, you may need to schedule a bulk trash collection. For larger items that are more than half metal (like microwaves), schedule a scrap metal recycling collection. Both of these collections must be requested at least one day before your collection day. Friday, August 10, 2007Household Hazardous Waste collection dates announced for Fall 2007What are your options when the Household Hazardous Waste dropoff at the Shady Grove Transfer Station is too far away? See whether one of our community collection events is more conveniently located for you!Our community collection schedule for Fall 2007 has just been announced. The dates and locations are:
Details about our Household Hazardous Waste program Monday, July 09, 2007Can we recycle batteries? From our mailbag:Can we recycle batteries that we use for our toys and other things? - E., Age 6 Thanks for your question, E. Many grown-ups ask us about this, too. Please put alkaline batteries from your toys and flashlights into your regular household trash.
For handy reference, here's the link to our battery disposal/recycling page.
Thursday, June 21, 2007Household Hazardous Waste Collection in Bethesda - June 30, 2007Our next Household Hazardous Waste community collection event is on Saturday, June 30, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Location: Westland Middle School 5511 Massachusetts Avenue (west of Little Falls Parkway) Bethesda MD 20816 We have a Household Hazardous Waste drop-off facility at the Shady Grove Transfer Station. It is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Depending on where you live within the County, however, traveling out to the Transfer Station for drop-offs may not be convenient. We offer our community collection events to make proper disposal of your household hazardous products easier. Want to receive email notices about our Household Hazardous Waste community collection event schedule? Subscribe to our email list for this topic. Friday, June 15, 2007How to dispose of leftover latex paintIn my last post, I hinted that latex paint from your home projects could be easily disposed of at home. Ideally, you'll use up all of the paint from your project (with the possible exception of a small amount for touch-ups), or you'll be able to give the remainder away. When neither is an option... Simply dry up the remaining latex paint, and then put the solidified paint into your regular household trash. Allow small amounts to dry in a well-ventilated area. For larger amounts, use paint hardener, or alternatives like mulch, kitty litter, or shredded paper. (Detailed latex paint disposal instructions) If the paint can is metal, we'll recycle it for you! After trash is burned in our waste-to-energy facility, a magnet pulls ferrous metals out of the remaining ash. That collected metal is then recycled. Remember, please do not bring latex paint to our Household Hazardous Waste Collections, because it is not a hazardous material. However, leftover oil-based paint should always be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007Paint giveaway mentioned on Craigslist This morning, someone posted an "offer" for the free paint we have at the Shady Grove Transfer Station to the "free items" section of Craigslist. Thanks for the publicity! The paint comes from residents who bring it to our Household Hazardous Waste drop-off program. Instead of disposing of it, we are pleased to offer the full cans we receive back to you for reuse. Latex/water-based paint is not a hazardous waste. In fact, it is very expensive for us to handle it as such. We found that paint disposal was taking a significant amount of money from our hazardous waste budget. The free paint program is one way for us to more cost-effectively handle the paint brought to us. That leaves more money available for processing the materials which truly do need special disposal. It's easy to dispose of the leftovers from your latex painting projects at home. Details to follow in my next post... Tuesday, June 05, 2007How to dispose of compact fluorescent light bulbsUpdated information posted November 20, 2008. From our mailbag: Do electric light bulbs and fluorescent tubes go into the recycling bin? Thanks for asking! No, the only glass we accept in our curbside blue bin recycling program is that used for bottles and jars. To dispose of incandescent ("regular") light bulbs, please wrap them in paper, and place them into your regular household trash. (Why put otherwise recyclable paper into the trash? Recycling as much as possible is important, but your safety and the collection crew's safety is even more important. Wrapping the bulb in paper helps prevent injury by containing the glass shards if the bulb breaks.) To dispose of your compact fluorescent light bulbs, please take them to our Household Hazardous Waste drop-off sites, if this is practical for you. (They contain a small amount of mercury.) If it is not practical, please wrap and put the compact fluorescent bulb into your regular household trash, as you would an incandescent bulb. What if a bulb breaks? The US EPA website has clean-up instructions for broken compact fluorescent light bulbs. To help your household be prepared, I've updated our "How to Recycle/Dispose of: Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes" page with this information. |
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Button batteries, nickel-cadmium (rechargeable) batteries, uninterruptible power supplies and lead acid (car) batteries are examples of batteries which Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services
· Department of Environmental Protection
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