Essex County ‘Hazardous Household Waste’ Collection Day Returns

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County residents who have a stockpile of “hazardous household waste” can safely get rid of it for free at an upcoming event.

Essex County’s latest “Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day” will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Essex County Public Works Department, 99 West Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove.

The event is open to anyone who lives in Essex County. Residents aren’t charged when they bring materials, but they must provide proof of residency at the site. Commercial businesses can’t drop off materials.

According to county officials:

“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’s not being collected? Officials said:

“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.

“This collection day provides our residents a place to properly and safely dispose of contaminants, protecting our precious environment for future generations,” DiVincenzo said. “Our collection days are very popular and I am so glad our residents understand the importance of recycling.”

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