Bastrop County Recycling Resources Guide
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Bastrop County Recycling Resources Guide Information about Household Hazardous Waste in Bastrop The Cities of Bastrop, Elgin, and Smithville, Bastrop County, and Keep Bastrop County Beautiful are partners in helping to keep Bastrop County clean. Every two or three years, they work to hold household hazardous waste collection events, but that is not enough to keep up, and to do so, other sources of funding are needed. On average, it costs about $60 per household to dispose of hazardous waste. Proper disposal of HHW is important not only due to environmental concerns, but also for the personal health and well being of sanitation workers and the public at large. Poisons in the home are dangerous. According to statistics from the National Capital Poison Center: • There is one exposure to poison every 14 seconds in the US. • Two million+ poisonings are reported annually. • The majority of poisonings involve everyday household items such as cleaning supplies, medicines, cosmetics and personal care items. • 89 percent of all poisonings occur in the home. • 75 percent of poisonings are ingestion of a substance. • Children and Poison: o 53 percent of poisonings occur in children under the age of six. Child poisonings under the age of six represent 2 percent of o poison fatalities. Facts Poison Exposures in the United States (Source: http://www.poison.org/ prevent/documents/poison%20stats.pdf) Proper Management of Household Hazardous Waste is important to the community because it affects: • The threat to the safety of sanitation workers • Costs due to damage of municipal equipment • HAZMAT cleanup costs • Potential dangers to homeowners • Environmental Degradation • Economic Development issues: o A clean community signals pride in the community! o A clean community is good for business! How can I manage HHW at my house? Local programs can help you dispose of HHW properly, but you can decrease the HHW you keep in your own home by considering some simple guidelines: REDUCE the amount of HHW you keep in your house by buying only what you need to do the job. Buying chemicals in bulk may not be saving you money if you do not use all of it. This will also help you avoid a cluttered cabinet of chemicals that you will one day have to get rid of. For painting projects, know the size of your area and use an online paint calculator to determine how many gallons you should buy. Think REUSE. If you know a friend, relative, or neighbor who can use unexpired chemi- cals or paint in good condition with, pass it on! You will save yourself and other in expense and convenience. Help us keep this information up to date! If you know of a facility not mentioned here, or if something in this guide changes, please contact Keep Bastrop County Beautiful at info@keepbastropcounty beautiful.org Additional Information Household Hazardous Waste: A Guide for Texans: (http://www.tceq.texas.gov/p2/hhw/hhw. html) This website provides helpful information for individuals about the household hazardous waste (HHW) program: what is HHW, what can you do with it, and who can accept it? City of Smithville Scrap Metal Program: Scrap Metal accepted for free: proceeds go to projects like the Veterans Memorial Park, Independence Park, and the new Public Library. You can drop off scrap metal at the Smithville City Yard (1000 MLK Blvd) on Mondays-Thursdays from 8AM-3:30PM or call for appointments (512-237-3282). Periodically, the City schedules Clean Up Saturdays. Pick up in Smithville city limits is possible. Medical Waste: Non-controlled medications should not be flushed down the toilet, but may be thrown in your trash. Put medications in a sealable bag with coffee grounds or kitty litter to make it undesirable to animals or people and put it in with your regular trash. (For more information: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/Buy- ingUsingMedicineSafely/UnderstandingOver-the-CounterMedicines/ucm107163.pdf) Disposing of Syringes from Households: (from TCEQ flier GI-418 available at http://www.tceq.texas.gov/publications/gi/gi-418. html) Syringes (also “sharps” or “needles”) CAN go into the regular trash, but you MUST follow these guidelines: • Place needles and syringes in a hard plastic or metal container with a tightly secured lid. DO NOT use see-through plastic containers or any glass. A laundry detergent or bleach bottle makes a great container. • Label the container “syringes” or “sharps” or “needles.” • Keep the container out of the reach of children and pets. • When the container is full, seal it and reinforce its lid with heavy-duty tape. • Dispose of the sealed container in the household trash. • DO NOT use thin plastics like soda bottles. • DO NOT put the container in with any recycling. • DO NOT throw loose needles or syringes in the household garbage. Loose needles are a danger to everyone, especially trash collectors because they may cause accidental needlestick injuries that require emergency medical care. • REMEMBER: The thicker the wall, the safer the container. Paint: (empty or mostly empty cans) If your can is less than 1/4 full, remove the lid and place the can in a well-ventilated area. The paint will dry in a few days. Once dry, the can may be thrown in your trash. City of Austin Resource Recovery: http://austintexas.gov/hhw Many household hazardous wastes can be brought to the City of Austin Resource Re- covery Center, but residents from outside of Austin will have to pay a fee (see http:// austintexas.gov/hhw for a current schedule of fees). In addition, they offer free chemi- cals and latex paint to anyone, regardless of residency, although they will limit quantities provided for free. Free Chemicals at the Reuse Store: Many brand new or slightly used items are brought to the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Instead of disposing of them, the facility gives them to people who can use them. You do NOT need to be an Austin resident to get the free goods, although they do limit quantities that may be taken at one time. Items are free, and may include: • Automotive Fluids • Cleaning Products • Fertilizers • Paint • Pesticides • Solvents • Other Household Chemicals Austin ReBlend Paint: Residents looking to save money when refurbishing their homes now have a free resource - Austin ReBlend paint, made from paint collected at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility. You do NOT have to be an Austin resident to get the free paint, although they do limit quanti- ties that may be taken at one time. (http://austintexas.gov/department/austin-reblend ) Bastrop County Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Permanent Collection Sites MH, etc - Waste (pesticides, cleaners, paint and thinners) - / Notes / Cad,LI, Ni - Tin Tires Steel Oil FiltersOil Newsprint Cardboard Appliances Latex Paint (Jars and Bottles) Other acid (car) Batteries lectronic - E Plastics (varying #s) Household Batteries Plastic Shopping Bags General / Other Metal and/or Automotive Fluids Glass Lead Residential Paper Waste CFL or Fluorescent Tubes Aluminum (C=Cans Only) Freon Recovery / Disposal Oil Rechargeable Ni City (B=Bastrop,City E=Elgin, S=Smithville pool oil chemicals,, Bulky Pickup (Furniture,debris, yard etc.) Household Chemicals Accepts HHW from non-residents for a fee: City of Austin Resource Recovery X X X X X X X X contact them for more information Organizations must be qualified to Abitibi X X participate in program—must generate at least 2 tons of paper each month Salford Disposal Curbside garbage pickup in designated areas Curbside Residential Recycling in B Elgin and Bastrop Republic Services * Accepted at the main facility only E X * * X X X X X X † ∞ (Formerly Allied Waste) † Appliances must be tagged “Freon Free” S ∞ Bulky pick up for Elgin every 1st and 3rd Monday (call ahead: 1-800-252-3586) Autozone-Bastrop B X Accepts any auto fluid up to 5 gal/day All auto fluids as long as there is no water in Barnard Tire Company B X X container. Call for fee for tires. Bastrop (City) Transfer Station B X No brush. No limbs or trees. Metal is free. Call for fees Bastrop County Transfer Station B X X X X X X on tires and other waste. Bastrop Metal Recycling B X X X X X Also: Wires, Copper Best Buy B X Call for limitations. Goodwill Industries B X HEB-Bastrop B X Service is for homeowners only, not Home Depot B X X businesses. Lone Star Disposal & Also accepts bagged household garbage and B X X X X X X X X X X some construction debris. No ceramics, Transfer Station concrete or bricks! No hazardous waste. Lowe’s B X X O’Reilly Auto Parts-Bastrop B X X X 1 MH, etc - Waste (pesticides, cleaners, paint and thinners) - / Notes / Cad,LI, Ni - Tin Tires Steel Oil FiltersOil Newsprint Cardboard Appliances Latex Paint (Jars and Bottles) Other acid (car) Batteries lectronic - E Plastics (varying #s) Household Batteries Plastic Shopping Bags General / Other Metal and/or Automotive Fluids Glass Lead Residential Paper Waste CFL or Fluorescent Tubes Aluminum (C=Cans Only) Freon Recovery / Disposal Oil Rechargeable Ni City (B=Bastrop,City E=Elgin, S=Smithville pool oil chemicals,, Bulky Pickup (Furniture,debris, yard etc.) Household Chemicals Accepts HHW from non-residents for a fee: City of Austin Resource Recovery X X X X X X X X contact them for more information Organizations must be qualified to Abitibi X X participate in program—must generate at least 2 tons of paper each month Salford Disposal Curbside garbage pickup in designated areas Curbside Residential Recycling in B Elgin and Bastrop Republic Services * Accepted at the main facility only E X * * X X X X X X † ∞ (Formerly Allied Waste) † Appliances must be tagged “Freon Free” S ∞ Bulky pick up for Elgin every 1st and 3rd Monday (call ahead: 1-800-252-3586) Autozone-Bastrop B X Accepts any auto fluid up to 5 gal/day All auto fluids as long as there is no water in Barnard Tire Company B X X container.