Bring unwanted bleach, bulbs, batteries and more to King County Wastemobile, Feb. 24-26 in Des Moines

Want to safely dispose of dead batteries, leftover house paint or other household hazardous waste, but not sure how? Simply haul it all to King County's three-day Wastemobile event in Des Moines, Feb. 24-26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they'll take care of the rest.

The Wastemobile, operated by King County as part of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program accepts pesticides, chlorine bleach, paint products, automotive products (oil, antifreeze, auto batteries, etc.), fluorescent bulbs/ballasts and other household hazardous items free of charge. By properly disposing of these materials and keeping them out of drains and garbage, King County residents are helping safeguard the health of their family and the environment.

The Wastemobile will be located in the north parking lot of Des Moines Marina. To reach the site from Interstate 5, take Kent-Des Moines Road, then follow the highway signs to Des Moines. Go west on South 227th Street to the marina.

Created in 1989, the Wastemobile was the first program of its kind in the nation. In its first 16 years in operation, the program collected 13,771 tons of wastes from 306,800 customers. In its 26 collection events last year, the Wastemobile served almost 19,814 King County residents, collecting an average of 100 pounds of hazardous waste per customer for a total of 1,110 tons.

"The intent of the program is to ensure safe, proper disposal of hazardous products people have in their homes," said Alexandra Thompson of King County's Solid Waste Division. "Our goal is to make disposal of these hazardous materials easy so that they won't end up in the normal household trash. The number of residents that come out to these events lets us know that we are providing an important and convenient service.”

Thompson said the Wastemobile's visit to Des Moines in 2005 proved extremely successful. Participation was up by 105 percent from 2004, and more than 73,000 pounds of household hazardous materials was gathered for proper disposal.

“Last year's event at Des Moines is a great indicator of the growing popularity of the program,” said Thompson. “We're hoping to experience even greater success this year.”

For more information, including acceptable materials and quantity limits, call the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program's Household Hazards Line at 206-296-4692, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., except holidays. Recorded information is available after hours.

Information is also available on the Wastemobile Web site at www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/wastemobile/index.html