What To Do With Your Waste?

We’ve had a few nice days, trees are pollinating and thoughts are turning to spring. Have you started your Spring Cleaning? Have you found some items that make you wonder how to dispose of  that waste? It’s kind of surprising to go to people’s homes and see them frying up stuff in a pan then take the grease and put it down the sink. You know, not only is it bad for your pipes, but it’s so bad for the environment. So What To Do With Your Waste? In the news, we frequently hear stories about water and air that are contaminated by something. Maybe you’re one of those people who want to help the environment, but you don’t know what you can do. What do you do when you dispose of your cleansers that you no longer need? Polishes that you no longer need? Just chemicals in general? Do you just throw them in the garbage? That’s not a great thing for the environment, especially when we have such an easy, great alternative in the area.   We have a great gift here in town. Have you ever heard of the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility? This is a fantastic place that will help you dispose of many items. It is a free service. And it is a gift.   Today, Deborah Elliott-Shultz welcomes Kathy Andrews, the Division Manager for the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. She’s been on the show before and we are so pleased to have her join us again, today.   The mission of the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility is to ensure that the residents of El Paso and Teller counties have a safe, proper way to dispose of their household hazardous waste.   Why do we have the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility?   If you think about chemicals, paints, lawn and garden things, all kinds of things, you don’t want them in the landfill, because eventually they will seep down into the water table. We’ve all heard the stories about undrinkable water, about the chemicals being put on the ground and then eventually seeping down to the water table. And we want to ensure that, we as residents and citizens of El Paso and Teller Counties are not contributing to that by disposing of chemicals properly.   Because it is not environmentally friendly to put anything down the drain that you can’t put in your body.   What about grease, such as vegetable oil and bacon grease, what is the best way to dispose of that?   A lot of people will try to dump their cooking oil and greases down the drain. The problem with this is that 1) it will clog your pipes, and 2) it’s not good for the environment. It’s not something that the Utilities Department can easily separate or remove from the water. So what can you do about it? Take it to the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Use the same container it came in, or one that is structurally sound, such as a glass jar or mayonnaise jar, so that it doesn’t leak all over you car when you taking it the Facility.   And please don’t leave flammable liquids in a hot car all day before bringing them to the Facility. These items can change chemical properties and become hazardous.   Another item people aren’t always aware needs special consideration for disposal are medications. If you put those down the drain, eventually they could come back into the water table and you don’t want that to happen. Medications are difficult things.   State law changed in Colorado in 2016. You have to be a law enforcement agency or a pharmacy to take medications. There are a couple of places in town that do it and additionally the DEA has a drug take back day, every spring and every fall. While the El Paso County Household Hazardous Waste Facility is not equipped to take medications year round, on Saturday, April 27, the DEA take back day for medication (in pill form and ...