Where to Recycle INDEX | Hazardous Waste

RECYCLE HERE!
Call Flathead County Landfill, 758-5910

Open third Saturday of each month by appointment only so you don’t have to wait in line!
Accepting: Oil based paints; solvents; strippers; pool/spa chemicals; pesticides/herbicides; fertilizers; cleaners/ poisons.

Must be in original, clearly marked, closed containers only. Please do not mix wastes.

The County Landfill Needs Your Help: It is estimated that many homeowners routinely store up to 100 pounds of hazardous products in their homes and garages. Annually it has been estimated Flathead county residents put somewhere between 80-240 tons of hazardous products into their garbage that eventually ends up at our landfill. At the landfill it is buried with other garbage creating a possible risk of contamination to the aquifer and to landfill staff.

Chemicals are part of our lives. We treat illnesses, paint our houses, and even clothe ourselves with products that have been developed through chemical research. However, there are reasons to be cautious about our exposure to some chemicals.

Many household products contain the same chemicals as strictly regulated industrial wastes and pose similar environmental problems. Although the quantities of chemicals disposed of by individual households may be small, the number of households in Flathead County are many, and the amount of waste adds up when they reach the landfill.

To identify hazardous materials look for the following caution words on product labels before you make your purchase. To help protect you, your family and the environment, choose the least hazardous product to get the job done.
* Poison = Highly Toxic
* Danger = Extremely Flammable, Corrosive, or Highly Toxic
* Warning = Moderately Hazardardous
* Caution = Mild to Moderately Hazardous

Simple changes in our everyday routines can reduce our long-term exposures to low levels of potentially harmful substances-changes in how we choose the products we buy, or the ways we clean our houses and take care of the yard. These changes will not only make our homes safer, they may also save us money.
Visit these web links for some great tips for reducing toxic exposures in your home and to learn more about how to identify hazardous wastes:
* http://www.moea.state.mn.us/campaign/toxics/index.html
* http://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/index.html
* http://www.metrokc.gov/hazwaste/
* http://www.watoxics.org/pages/root.aspx

Where To Take "Dirty Trash" or Hazardous Wastes
Home Owners and Renters: The county's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Center (It's free!) is open to all county residents on the third Saturday of the month. (Services for businesses, see below) The HHW drop-off Center accepts common household products such as left over oil based paints, pesticides or herbicides, automotive products and cleaners and poisons, at no additional charge to residents. These are all products that shouldn't go into your garbage because when buried at the landfill they could eventually leach into the groundwater and cause contamination.

This great drop-off service/facility provided by our county landfill is the first and only permanent HHW Center in the state. In 2002 it kept 8,600 gallons of toxic materials from being buried at our landfill where it could potentially contaminate groundwater.

The County's Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Center is open the third Saturday of every month and is a free service. Residents will need to call and make an appointment to drop off items at the HHW Center. Call 758-5910. The landfill uses an appointment system so that you don't have to wait and so that they can efficiently schedule staff needed to handle each month's appointments and thus keep staffing costs to the landfill low.

Businesses: There is a NEW PROGRAM for businesses in Flathead County! The county landfill now offers an annual, early summer, collection service for small businesses and the hazardous waste they generate.

Like homeowners most businesses use at least some products that are considered hazardous waste. If your business uses products with a warning label such as flammable, caustic, danger, hazardous or poison, then you will want to call 758-5910 to learn how to participate. While this program is not free, it offers significant reductions in rates by organizing joint collection dates.

Proper disposal of business HHW is required and regulated by law. Regulations concerning the management of hazardous wastes are issued by and enforced by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These regulations apply to hazardous wastes from "cradle to grave." In other words you are responsible for the hazardous wastes you produce from the time they are generated until the time they are properly, legally disposed of. In addition, various local agencies (like the fire department or sewage treatment plant) may have requirements on how and where your hazardous materials are stored, used and disposed.

Visit these web links for some great tips for reducing hazardous waste at your business and to learn more about how to identify and dispose of these hazardous wastes:
* http://www.montana.edu/wwwated/business.shtml
* http://www.metrokc.gov/hazwaste/
* http://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/pubs/business.html#hazardous

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