Essex County Hazardous Waste Collection 2017: Protect The Environment

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Do you have an unpleasant stockpile of hazardous chemicals sitting around your house? Don’t chuck them in the trash; take them to the Essex County Household Hazardous Waste Collection event on Saturday, Oct. 7.

The annual event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the old Essex County Hospital Center, 125 Fairview Avenue in Cedar Grove.

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, county officials stated.

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 for 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. For more information, call the Essex County Utilities Authority at 973-792-9060 or visit www.ecuanj.com.

Essex County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day is sponsored by the County of Essex and the Essex County Utilities Authority.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Flickr Commons