Enumclaw-area residents can dispose of household hazardous waste with King County's Wastemobile

Wondering what to do with leftover paint, dead car batteries or other household hazardous items? King County residents can properly dispose of these items and others at a King County Wastemobile household hazardous waste collection event, July 27-29 at Enumclaw Middle School.

"King County residents have a free and convenient opportunity to dispose of household hazardous materials so we can insure that unwanted items don't end up in landfills," said Alexandra Thompson, project manager for King County's Solid Waste Division.

The Wastemobile is operated by King County as part of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. Acceptable materials include pesticides, oil-based paint products, propane tanks, automotive products (oil, antifreeze, auto batteries, etc.) and fluorescent bulbs/ballasts.

Look for the Wastemobile in the parking lot of the Enumclaw Middle School, 550 Semanski St., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Trained waste-management staff will safely remove hazardous items from vehicles.

Created in 1989, the Wastemobile was the first program of its kind in the nation. In its first 17 years in operation, the program collected 15,771 tons of household hazardous waste from 343,060 customers. In its 26 collection events last year, the Wastemobile served more than 18,000 King County residents, collecting an average of 110 pounds of hazardous waste per customer, for a total of 1,000 tons.

All materials collected by the Wastemobile are either properly disposed of in a hazardous waste facility or treated for recycling. For example, oil-based paints, solvents and thinners are blended into a fuel mixture for use at facilities such as cement kilns, while used motor oil is re-refined into new lubricating products or reused as fuel for ships and cement kilns.

For more information, including schedules, 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 online at www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/wastemobile/index.html.

Para la información detallada acerca de este servicio o para dejar algún recado en español, por favor llame por el teléfono: 206-296-4692, marque 2.