Toxic materials get new life through household hazardous waste collection

The chemicals, oils, paints, appliances and other wastes that Jacksonville residents turn in during Household Hazardous Waste and E-Waste Mobile Collections do more than just sit in a bin, waiting to be dealt with. The materials will fuel lawn mowers used by the city or provide a fresh coat of paint to government buildings, local churches or nonprofits. Unwanted microwaves and refrigerators are often sent to city department break rooms, while discarded chlorine will help keep public pools clean and safe.

The mindset of recycling and finding a use for unwanted items collected at the mobile events was put to the forefront by Jeff Foster, Jacksonville's Solid Waste Division chief, and Dale Hotaling, supervisor for Hazardous Waste. And there's no shortage of items to reuse and repurpose. Collection events, which have increased from six to 11 a year since the program started in 1990, draw an average of more than 1,000 cars (donors) per event.

The city then transports the paint, household and yard chemicals, computers, household appliances and batteries to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at 2675 Commonwealth Ave. There, the waste is separated and stored by type and chemical properties to avoid mixing dangerous chemicals together. Later, outside contractors visit regularly to take the waste to other facilities for burning or recycling.

Flammable and non-flammable chemicals, taken by one contractor, are sent to separate facilities. Non-flammables go to a waste order treatment plant that strips the mixtures of all chemical properties before they are disposed. Flammables are taken to another facility to be mixed together and sold as fuel to plants approved by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. When mixed with diesel or heavy petroleum and burned, the flammables can help power a plant's electricity and operational equipment. Separate contractors take away and recycle lead acid batteries, cooking and motor oil. Appliances and electronics too old or broken to be salvaged are taken by an additional contractor, and used for scrap metal.

But not everything collected is run past its expiration date. A portion of paints, yard chemicals like fertilizer, motor oil and appliances that the facility receives can be used, and many of the appliances are in good shape. Instead of lumping these items in with unusable waste, the department directs them back to the community as quickly as possible. A majority is used within city departments, but some also go back to nonprofits, churches and residents who need them.

"If people are bringing us fertilizer and weed killer, why should [city departments] step out and spend the money on what we're throwing away?" said Hotaling. "We're working with them to say, hey, if you need fertilizer or weed killer, come by here and get it from us. It cuts their cost of buying it and it cuts our cost for disposal."

Serving 262,000 residents, Foster says that the facility is one of the biggest hazardous waste collectors in the state. In 2014, it took 429 tons of household hazardous waste and 3,200 fluorescent light bulbs. This includes latex paint, oil, antifreeze, lead acid batteries, cooking oil and white goods. The facility has also collected 75 tons of e-waste (old computers and other electronic devices) since 2012. All materials, except for rechargeable batteries, propane tanks and antifreeze, the county is compensated for.

In St. Johns County, the amount of hazardous waste collected is so high that a second collection facility on Stratton Road opened in 2008 to accommodate the growing number of residents. The first, a facility on Tillman Ridge, has been operating for more than 30 years and, along with the second collection facility, collected 33,660 gallons of hazardous waste last year. Like Duval County, St. Johns takes both household and yard chemicals, as well as car maintenance chemicals and materials, paint, fluorescent bulbs, fire extinguishers and all obsolete electronics, except microwaves and large appliances. Getting rid of this waste comes at no extra charge to residents, as the collection is already included in resident's non-ad valorem fee assessment.

Three different contractors take the waste away to facilities both in and out of state, and, after the paint and chemicals are treated, they are burned or sent to a landfill. While St. Johns County has reused or recycled hazardous materials in the past, rising costs have caused the division to drop those programs. But, Hicks says that the division is searching for similar programs to give the materials to.

The St. Johns County Solid Waste Division has also held collection events since 2002, in order to reach residents who live closer to the outskirts of the county. The division holds between seven to 14 every year from October to March in areas such as Ponte Vedra, Julington Creek, St. Johns County South and Flagler Estates. Since the Stratton Road facility opened in 2008, division manager Wendy Hicks says that they have tried to limit the number of collections even more, and, like Duval County, uses the events instead to educate residents about the two permanent collection facilities in the county.

Foster, Hotaling and Hicks say that the collection events have increased the amount of traffic to their collection facilities, as well as decreased the amount of hazardous waste left on the curb. In Duval County, the increased awareness of collection events and permanent collection facilities has given much-needed room in landfills to non-toxic household and yard waste and limited the amount of costly clean-ups of spilled hazardous waste in landfills.

Hicks says that the collection events and facilities have helped to clean waste like old tires out of residents' yards and properties, as well as helped residents take the initiative to properly dispose of household chemicals and other hazardous waste on their own.

"The phone calls [on hazardous waste disposal] that we get from residents now compared to where I started 19 years ago is amazing," said Hicks. "The residents really do care, they just have to know what to do with it."

While collection events for St. Johns County residents have already passed for this year, Duval County still has five household hazardous waste collection events until the end of June. Duval County Collection events also include the beaches, and its collection facility is open to any Duval County resident.

Tiffanie Reynolds: (904) 359-4450