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Household hazardous waste collection to be held at Lower Merion Transfer Station tomorrow

    by Ashley Nguyen
    Published 

Get out your disinfectants tomorrow without having to clean: Montgomery County's household hazardous waste collection will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Public Works Complex at 1300 N. Woodbine Ave.

"The county provides this year after year because household hazardous waste is not regulated by the [Environmental Protection Agency], but the waste can cause problems in our drinking water and the environment," Montgomery County Recycling Coordinator Chris Kaasmann said.

Hazardous waste includes cleaning supplies, such as rug cleaner and toilet bowl cleaner, automotive products, pesticides/herbicides and paint products – with one important exception.

Latex paint can be dried out using cat litter or paint hardener and disposed of at home, Kaasmann said. Latex paint is typically the kind of paint bought to paint interiors, he added, but the type of paint should be marked on the container.

Kaasmann also said to leave alkaline batteries – otherwise known as single-use batteries – and appliances with Freon, such as air conditioners and dehumidifiers, at home. Throw alkaline batteries in the trash, and residents should arrange private disposal of appliances.

People who plan to drive their hazardous waste to the collection should plan to stay in their cars.

"It helps us speed along the process, and it's more safe," Kaasmann said. "We've never had a fire, but when chemicals are around each other, anything can happen."