News and Articles

May 17, 2009 is the 10th Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day sponsored by Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency, City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County and Keep Santa Fe Beautiful. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., City and County residents can take household hazardous waste items to BuRRT on 2600 Buckman Road, which is adjacent to the old city landfill on 1686 Paseo de Vista. "It's important to dispose of household hazardous waste properly, otherwise they can create environmental and public health hazards," explained Keep Santa Fe Beautiful coordinator Gilda Montaño.

A household product is hazardous if it has words like CAUTION, WARNING, POISION, or FLAMMABLE on the label.

Household hazardous waste generally falls into six categories:

Cleaning Products: kitchen cleaners, bathroom cleaners, drain cleaners, toilet cleaners, oven cleaners, furniture polishes, solvents, and aerosols.

Auto Products: motor oil, gasoline, brake fluids, anti-freeze, transmission fluids, solvent cleaners, car batteries, starting fluids, and repair products.

Home Improvement Products: oil-based paints, latex paints, stains, varnishes, paint thinners, chemical strippers, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, rechargeable batteries, insect repellents, lighter fluids, kerosene, and pool chemicals.

Hobby Products: glue, paints, contact cement, and photographic chemicals.

Personal Care and Pharmaceuticals: nail polishes and removers, hair color, and non controlled prescription drugs.

Lawn and Garden Care: weed killers, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other lawn products.

Used motor oil may also be taken to local businesses in the city and county year-around. Call the City or County for a list of those locations. Contrary to popular belief, dried latex paint is not a hazardous waste material.

The following materials will not be accepted at the HHW event: televisions, business or commercial waste, industrial waste, medical waste, explosives or ammunition, pressurized gas cylinders, propane and helium tanks, asbestos or radioactive materials.

The Agency has contracted Rinchem Company, an Albuquerque hazardous waste firm, to package, transport, and dispose of the household hazardous waste collected. The majority of these household hazardous wastes will be recycled.

Like the past few years, E-WASTE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS PART OF THIS YEAR’S EVENT. BuRRT accepts e-waste every day of the year to keep this event focus strictly to HHW. BuRRT accepts e-waste (computers, CPU’s, monitors, keyboards, mice, and peripherals) every operating day except on household hazardous waste drop-off day. Also, Keep Santa Fe Beautiful has plans to hold an E-Waste Day in July to take computers and televisions.

For more information, call Santa Fe County Solid Waste at 992-3025.