Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia
Many people have made the switch from using incandescent light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). Because CFLs contain a tiny amount of mercury, homeowners should not throw used CFLs into the trash. Instead, residents are asked to recycle them.
Home Depot stores accept CFLs for recycling, free of charge. Take the unbroken, expired bulbs to the returns desk at any store. Residents also may take their used CFLs to the I-66 Transfer Station Complex and the I-95 Landfill Complex household hazardous waste sites during scheduled dates and times only. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/mat-light.htm for more information.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 2, 2009, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Why? Because the Fairfax County Division of Solid Waste is returning for another round of Household Hazardous Waste Disposal and Document Shredding at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike in Annandale.
Residents can bring items such as acid, gasoline, fluorescent bulbs, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, mercury products, oil-based paint, paint thinner, pesticides, poisons, pool chemicals, and Nickel Cadmium, Lithium, and Mercury batteries. For document shredding, residents can bring up to five reasonable-sized boxes of paper per household (please remove paper from binders and remove binder clips).
This FREE event is hosted by the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program in partnership with Covanta Energy. For more information about this event and other upcoming environmental events in 2009, log-on towww.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/recycling/calendar.htm, or call the Fairfax County Recycling Infoline at 703-324-5052.
Products used in and around the home that are flammable, corrosive, reactive or toxic such as oil-based paints, solvents, fuel, chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers are household hazardous waste. These materials can potentially case a safety problem if various household chemicals become mixed when disposed with regular trash.
To dispose of these materials safely and properly, take them to one of the Household Hazardous Waste Collection locations at the Citizen's Recycling and Disposal Facilities where they will be properly handled and packaged to minimize exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. This will also decrease the likelihood that these chemicals will enter the environment.
Dried latex paint and alkaline batteries are not hazardous waste and can be thrown away in the regular trash.
For more information, call 703-324-5230 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dpwes/trash/disposal_hhw.htm.
Did you know that a single quart of used oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of water when improperly disposed? While basic automotive maintenance requires a car's motor oil to be replaced on a routine basis, it is important for do-it-yourselfers to make "eco-safe" choices about how such oil is handled.
Too often used oil is improperly poured down storm drains, into sewers or released into the air through burning. Mishandled used motor oil is a pollutant because tons of toxic metal such as lead, cadmium and arsenic are released into the environment.
In addition to damaging the environment, dumping used oil also deprives the community of the benefits of used motor oil recycling. Used oil is a valuable resource when cleaned of its impurities and re-refined. Re-refined oils meet the same stringent American Petroleum Institute standards as nonrecycled products; in fact, several national brands have been successfully marketed as premium recycled motor oils. Recycled oil is also processed into fuel sources.
It's easy to make your used oil "eco-safe." Simply take used oil to a proper collection facility. Used motor oil is accepted by most service stations and "quick lube" facilities and is also accepted at the County's two citizen's recycling and disposal facilities: the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road in Fairfax (hours of operation: Mon.-Sat., 6 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.); and the I-95 Sanitary Landfill, 9850 Furnace Road in Lorton (hours of operation: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., 7 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sun., 7 a.m.-2 p.m.).
In addition, used motor oil may be taken to the City of Fairfax drop-off center at 3410 Pickett Road, during daylight hours. For further details, call the Recycling InfoLine at 703-324-5052 and access message "3."