Dispose Of Hazardous Household Waste In Essex County At Free Event

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County will be bringing back its popular “Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day” for local residents on Saturday, May 4.

Essex County residents can safely dispose of a variety of potentially hazardous items at the free event, including pesticides, barbecue propane tanks, antifreeze and motor oil, cleaning fluids and more (see full list below).

The event is open to Essex County residents only. Residents are not charged when they bring materials, but they must provide proof of residency at the site. Commercial businesses may not drop off materials.

The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Essex County Public Works Department, 99 West Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove.

WHAT IS ACCEPTED? – Materials being collected at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day include pesticides and herbicides, paint thinners and solvents, oil-based paints and stains, chemistry sets, barbecue propane tanks, pool chemicals, automotive fluids such as antifreeze, motor oil and steering fluid, darkroom and photographic chemicals, lithium and NiCad batteries, fluorescent light bulbs and ballasts, mercury and products containing mercury, gasoline and kerosene, household cleaning fluids, car batteries, home fire extinguishers, driveway sealer and aerosol spray paints. All containers must be five gallons or smaller or 10 pounds or lighter.

WHAT IS NOT ACCEPTED? – Items not being collected include latex paint (which can be dried and disposed of with regular waste), unlabeled or unidentifiable materials, asbestos, regulated medical or infectious waste, commercial or industrial waste, empty containers, explosives, munitions, ordnance or highly reactive materials, household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 9V), smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.

The event is sponsored by the County of Essex and the Essex County Utilities Authority. For more information, call the Essex County Utilities Authority at 973-792-9060 or visit www.ecuanj.com.

“There are some materials that should be removed from our regular waste stream because of their hazardous nature,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“Our collection days are very popular and I am so glad our residents understand the importance of recycling,” DiVincenzo said.

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