Household Hazardous Waste Collection in Delaware and in Rehoboth Beach

Presentation to Board of Commissioners

April 19, 2013

By Commissioner Stan Mills

“The City should implement a convenient, in-City, means for residents to dispose of environmentally hazardous waste, e.g., paints, solvents, engine oil, pesticides, herbicides, etc.”

— Rehoboth Beach Lakes Report Recommendation,

Draft #9 dated 08-01-12, page 12

The intent of this research was to address the possibility of DSWA conducting household hazardous waste (HHW) collection event(s) in Rehoboth Beach in order to give residents and property owners the opportunity to easily dispose of HHW which if disposed of improperly could harm the environment and specifically, could be a potential pollutant of our lakes and other water bodies.

Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) is the state agency responsible for conducting and overseeing household hazardous waste collections. See their web site for updated information on recycling and collection programs, facilities, locations and services. www.dswa.com

http://www.dswa.com/programs_haz.asp

Can DSWA conduct HHW collections in Rehoboth Beach?

DSWA has conducted special collection events for electronics recycling and paper shredding in the City of Rehoboth Beach annually during the past four years. The events have been held on a weekend in early December. While past collection events only provided for collection of electronics goods and for paper shredding, starting July 1, 2013, future special collection events held in various locations about the state are intended to include HHW collection in addition to the standard electronics recycling and paper shredding activities.

Can DSWA conduct HHW collections in Rehoboth Beach?

At the City’s request, DSWA considered a single collection event for electronics recycling, paper shredding and household hazardous waste collection closer to the time for the City’s annual bulk collection of residential debris. DSWA determined that there was insufficient space behind the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company to conduct the three collection activities concurrently. However, the following activities were scheduled. May 18, 2013. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Household Hazardous Waste Collection September 28, 2013. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding

Both activities will be conducted behind the fire house.

Can DSWA conduct HHW collections in Rehoboth Beach? May 18, 2013. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Household Hazardous Waste Collection September 28, 2013. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding

As a reminder, the City is conducting its annual cleanup for discards other than household trash from April 22 – May 3, 2013. See press release on next page.

The May 18 collection event is a good opportunity for the safe disposal

of household hazardous waste .

You Can Bring the Following Items to a Collection Event:

Product containers marked with words, "Warning: Hazardous," "Flammable," "Poisonous," "Corrosive" or "Explosive." See below for listing.

HOUSE: Full aerosol cans, bleach, chemistry kits, nail polish, polish removers, perfumes, disinfectants, drain cleaners, floor wax, mercury thermometers, moth balls, oven cleaner, spot remover, toilet cleaner, fluorescent light bulbs, sharps (needles)

EXPLOSIVES: Ammunition, firecrackers, gunpowder

WORKSHOP: Corrosives, paints (other than latex), small compressed-gas cylinders, solvents, stains, strippers, thinners, varnish, wood preservatives, fluorescent bulbs

GARDEN/YARD: Fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, pool chemicals

AUTOMOTIVE: Antifreeze, auto batteries, degreasers, waste fuels - gasoline, kerosene, used motor oil mixed with other fuels

www.dswa.com

www.dswa.com

Helpful Tips:

• Bring materials in original, sealed containers.

• Do not mix products in one container.

• To prevent leakage or breakage, pack separately in absorbent

material or triple bag.

• Bring rags to clean up any spills, and dispose of rags at the

collection site.

What's Not Accepted: • FRIABLE ASBESTOS - Dispose by appointment only at Cherry Island Landfill for

a fee. Call 302-764-5385 for details.

• NON-FRIABLE ASBESTOS - Accepted by appointment at all DSWA landfills for a fee.

• UNKNOWN SUBSTANCES - Unknown items that are greater than 1 gallon or 8 pounds.

• RADIOACTIVE WASTE

• LATEX PAINT- Water-soluble is not hazardous. Can be taken to a landfill. Please solidify with kitty litter or sand.

• CONTAINERS WITH LESS THAN 1" OF MATERIAL - These can go in your regular trash.

• USED MOTOR OIL - Oil which has not been mixed with other fuels is accepted at specific DSWA Recycling Drop-off Centers.

www.dswa.com

What's Not Accepted: • PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS - Can be thrown out in your regular trash in the

following procedure:

• Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers;

• Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter and place them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, further ensuring that the drugs are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets;

• Throw these containers in the trash; and • Flush prescription drugs down the toilet ONLY if the accompanying patient

information specifically instructs it is safe to do so. • For further information or questions regarding proper disposal of prescription

drugs visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website by clicking here. The U.S. Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration will receive unused or expired medication for safe disposal at their annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Please click on this link for further information.

www.dswa.com

What about conducting special collection events in Rehoboth Beach more than once a year?

Unlikely. Past usage has not justified conducting more than one special collection event in a year. A typical special collections event in New Castle County will attract 500 – 1,000 cars bringing in collectables. Typical collections in Sussex County yield about 150-200 cars; in Rehoboth about 120 cars.

What about conducting special collection events in Rehoboth Beach more than once a year?

These special collection events are conducted by DSWA at considerable cost which includes general minimum setup costs added to the costs for disposal of the various collected materials. Costs include: • A hazardous waste mobile unit with 3-4 chemists (sub-contracted

vendor).

• State police staff to accept explosives such as ammunition.

• Five DSWA staff members to sort and run the event.

• Separate vendors to pickup and dispose of the materials. E.g. one vendor focuses solely on paper shredding.

Such events can cost $45,000 - $80,000.00 depending on amount of materials collected. But regardless of amount of materials collected, there are minimum set up fees for vendors to arrive on site and stay through the event.

Other special collection events…

Collection events held at DSWA sites (such as the Sussex County Jones Crossroads Landfill or the Cheswold Collection Station in Kent County) are the least expensive to operate as they can utilize less labor and do not involve additional transportation costs. For the calendar year 2013, DSWA has scheduled collection events throughout the state. There are nine such single-day events scheduled in New Castle County plus NCCo has one collection station open one day a week year round. Kent County has one year round collection station but no other single-day events at various locations. Sussex County has two single-day collection dates; both are held at the Jones Crossroads Landfill located mid-county. And note the two special collection activities scheduled in Rehoboth Beach: May 18, 2013. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Household hazardous Waste Collection. September 28, 2013. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Electronics Recycling and Paper Shredding.

Where Else Can I Dispose of My Household Hazardous Waste?

A listing of all collection events can be found on the DSWA web site. For more information:

www.dswa.com

Delaware Solid Waste Authority 1128 South Bradford Street Post Office Box 455 Dover, Delaware 19903-0455 302-739-5361 info@dswa.com Citizens' Response Line 1-800-404-7080 www.dswa.com

DSWA will shred paper at special collection events. For more information, please call the DSWA's Citizens' Response Line at 1-800-404-7080.

Residents can bring up to 2 file boxes of personal confidential papers for shredding (financial and legal documents, receipts, and tax and medical records). Papers with staples or paper clips are accepted.

www.dswa.com

Paper Shredding

DSWA will also accept Electronic Goods for recycling special collection events. For a list of accepted electronic goods, please see the Electronic Goods Recycling page. For more information, please call the DSWA's Citizens' Response Line at 1-800-404-7080.

A collection event for both electronics goods and paper shredding is scheduled for September 28, 2013.

www.dswa.com

www.dswa.com

This slide was added after presentation.

Follow up on the May 18, 2013 HHW collection event in Rehoboth Beach: There were a total of 127 cars passing through to drop off material. The weight of material shipped from the Rehoboth Beach HHW this past weekend:

Aerosols - 361 lbs.

Paint - 3376 lbs.

Pesticides - 1677 lbs.

Flammable liquids - 1111 lbs.

Antifreeze - 241 lbs.

Labpacks for incineration - 316 lbs.

Mercury labpack - 4 lbs.

Fluorescent bulbs - 65 lbs.

Total weight - 7151 lbs.

The next Household Hazardous Waste collection event in Rehoboth Beach is scheduled for April 12, 2014