Hazardous Waste Collection Set For Saturday In Bucks Co.

LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County's Household Hazardous Waste Program will hold its first collection of the year on Saturday.

This is the time for residents to get rid of items they can't throw away in the regular trash, including cleaning chemicals, vehicle batteries, pesticides, and flammable items.

Bucks County residents can bring up to 25 gallons or 220 pounds of hazardous waste to the Newtown campus of Bucks County Community College from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the college, 275 Swamp Rd. in Newtown Township.

Four more events will follow in other locations in the county:

• May 31: Upper Bucks Area Vocational Technical School, 3115 Ridge Road, Bedminster.
• June 28: Central Bucks South High School, 1100 Folly Road, Warrington Township.
• Aug. 9: Bucks County Technical High School, Wistar Road, Fairless Hills.
• Oct. 25: Strayer Middle School, 1200 Ronald Reagan Drive, Richland Township.

Here's what is acceptable and not acceptable, county officials say:

Acceptable items include: pesticides; oil-based paint and paint products; automotive products (gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze); pool chemicals; degreasers and cleaners; mercury thermostats; fluorescent tubes; fire extinguishers; mini-propane tanks of two pounds or less; lead-acid batteries (car, marine, motorcycle and truck); and rechargeable, lithium or button-type household batteries. There is a limit of 25 gallons or 220 pounds of acceptable materials per household.

Unacceptable items include, but are not limited to: TVs and other electronics, appliances, asbestos, medical waste, explosives/ammunition, radioactive and unidentified waste, large gas cylinders, tires, and smoke detectors. Please note that if you have water-based latex paint or alkaline batteries, these can be safely put in your regular trash collection and, therefore, will not be accepted at the collection.

Guidelines for safely transporting household hazardous waste to the collection sites include:

• Keep all products in their original containers with labels intact and lids on tight
• Place materials securely in a box to prevent spilling
• Wrap leaking containers in newspaper and place in a plastic container for transport
• Do not mix materials
• Do not leave hazardous materials loaded in a vehicle or other hot, unventilated areas for prolonged periods
• Do not smoke near any chemicals
• Take cardboard boxes home to recycle

Why bring your hazardous waste?

Household products containing toxic chemicals, like pesticides, oil-based paints, solvents, cleaning products, weed killers and automotive batteries can be a threat to people and the environment if improperly discarded. Never throw these materials into the trash, as the toxic chemicals may harmsanitation workers, or result in fires in collection vehicles. It is also not safe to pour them into a sink or storm drain as they can end up in the environment polluting the air, water, or soil.

The collections are sponsored by the Bucks County Commissioners and the Bucks County Planning Commission. Registration is not required. The events are for the collection of residential household hazardous waste only. No items will be accepted from businesses, industries or institutions.

For additional information, visit www.buckscounty.org/recycling.