HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM (HHW)

Recipes for less hazardous cleaners

Chatham County's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Center is open the third Saturday from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. (March – November).  The facility is located off Hwy 64 on County Landfill Road (across from Animal Control).  Close to 41 tons of potentially harmful substances have already been removed from Chatham County homes since we started collections in the fall of 1996. These wastes include materials that are: Corrosive (examples are oven cleaner, bleach, auto batteries, and other products that can cause skin burns) Reactive (examples include chlorine, lye, some laboratory chemicals, and other products that can explode or give off toxic gases) Toxic (examples are pesticides, herbicides, antifreeze, and other poisonous materials) Ignitable (examples are gasoline, turpentine, motor oil, and other flammable materials)

Instructions for Disposal:

1. How to pack your wastes
   Do not mix the wastes. If possible, leave the materials in their original containers with labels intact. Put them inside the trunk of your car in a cardboard box lined with newspaper.
   
   
2. What not to bring:
   • Business waste
   • Asbestos
   • Explosives
   • Infectious wastes
   • Radioactive materials
   
   
3. Where to take your wastes:
   Residents of Chatham County can take household hazardous wastes to any of the four participating county’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers. The wastes you bring will be recycled, used to produce energy, or packaged for safe disposal in a hazardous waste landfill.
   
   
4. How to reduce your wastes:
   • Buy only the amount you need, even if a larger container offers a   price discount.
   • Use up any hazardous products completely, following directions   on the label.
   • Try less toxic products. Call the 24-hour HHW Information Line   (919-287-8051) for ideas.
   • Find someone who can use your leftovers.
   • Recycle if possible. Some stores accept used products like   automobile batteries or motor oil for recycling. If you need to   dispose of these wastes, call the 24-hour HHW hotline for   information. Click here for recipes for less hazardous cleaners.

Paint Mobile
At Chatham County's HHW Collection Center, approximately 60% of the material brought to the center has been paint. We collect both oil-based and latex paint at our collection center and it is by far the most costly item that we collect. The oil-based paint is poured off and recycled. The latex paint, which cleans up with water, is less hazardous than oil-based paint. We save all the good latex paint and give it away at each HHW collection through our Paint Mobile program. Unusable latex paint is either recycled or disposed of. Please call our office at (919) 542-5516 for more information about contributing or picking up free latex paint.

Salvaging Latex Paint
In order to save our money for handling the more hazardous wastes, we are encouraging people to use up their leftover latex paint, give it to someone else who can use it, or dry it up for disposal.
Listed below are suggestions for reducing paint waste and safe disposal of leftovers:

1. Buy the right amount of paint. Paint store staff can help you calculate what you need.
2. Properly prepare the surface to be painted so you'll get the maximum results from the paint. This will ensure a longer lasting paint job.
3. Store the remaining paint at room temperature until the next project. Properly stored paint can remain usable for 10 - 15 years.
4. If you need to dispose of small amounts of leftover latex paint, it is safe to put it in the trash if it is completely dry. To dry it out, take off the lid and let it sit outside in a covered area. Add cat litter, sawdust, or sand to speed up the drying process.