Bring batteries, bulbs and bug killers to King County's Wastemobile in Federal Way, March 16–18 and March 23–25

Need motivation to clean out the garage, get rid of old bags of weed and feed or clear out oil-based paints left over from the last remodel? King County residents can safely and easily dispose of these items and others by dropping them by the King County Wastemobile, March 16 through 18 or March 23 through 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Commons shopping center in Federal Way.

The Wastemobile will be located in the Sears department store parking lot of The Commons shopping center at 1701 South 320th Street . It will be parked in the southwest corner of the parking lot near Pacific Highway South and South 324th Street. Trained waste management staff will safely remove the hazardous items from all vehicles. The service is free for all King County residents.

"By giving King County residents a convenient opportunity to dispose of these materials we can insure that they won't end up in landfills," said Alexandra Thompson, Project Manager for King County's Solid Waste Division. "Our goal is to make proper disposal of hazardous materials easy to do so that residents can incorporate these practices into their everyday routines."

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.

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 14,771 tons of household hazardous waste from 325,060 customers. In its 26 collection events last year, the Wastemobile served over 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.