This weekend, King County’s Wastemobile will be making its final appearance in Redmond for the year in the parking lot of the Home Depot at 17777 N.E. 76th St.
Residents will be able to dispose of their old car batteries, oil, paint thinner and other household hazardous items at no cost from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Julie Mitchell, hazardous waste programs manager for King County, said despite its name, the Wastemobile is not a truck. It is a temporary setup for them to collect the hazardous items.
In addition to the previously mentioned items, other items they can take include pesticides, fluorescent light bulbs or tubes, oil-based paints, automotive products (oil, antifreeze, lamps, etc.) and small-quantity generators.
WORKING TOGETHER
A King County press release states that the Wastemobile is now part of LightRecycle Washington, a program focused on safely collecting fluorescent tubes and bulbs that contain mercury. The program is funded through an environmental handling charge that is included in the retail price of these types of lights.
Wastemobile services are pre-paid through garbage and sewer utility fees and the county contracts with a hazardous waste vendor to run it, Mitchell said.
“They’re at the site,” she said, adding that they will get the materials from vehicles and sort items to make sure incompatibles do not mix.
The Wastemobile was created in 1989 and was the first traveling hazardous waste disposal program in the nation. It is operated by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program and travels throughout King County from spring to fall each year. It is a partnership of more than 40 city, county and tribal governments working together in King County to reduce threats posed from hazardous materials and wastes, the release states.
According to the county release, the Wastemobile has collected more than 17,000 tons of hazardous household waste from more than 466,000 customers since it first hit the road.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH
The Wastemobile typically comes to Redmond three times a year and it is always at the Home Depot. Mitchell added that the Redmond site is one of the more popular ones in the county with 400-600 people stopping by over the course of a weekend.
“We are thrilled to be able to provide the service,” she said.
She said the county is “super happy” to see people utilizing the Wastemobile as a little goes a long way when it comes to hazardous materials. By disposing of these materials properly, Mitchell said people are protecting the environment by making sure the materials stay out of the waterways and landfills. In addition, she said they are protecting human health as certain incompatible materials could mix and start a fire or result in a toxic release into the air.
The release states that the Wastemobile also provides free reusable products to the public such as oil-based paint, stain and primer, plus wood care and cleaning products. These products are subject to availability and residents must sign a release form prior to receiving the materials.
YEAR-ROUND SITES
Mitchell said King County has three fixed household hazardous waste drop-off sites.
One is in Bellevue at 13800 S.E. 32nd St. in Factoria (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday). The location is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The other two sites are in Seattle at 12550 Stone Ave. N. (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday) and 8105 Fifth Ave. S. (9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday). These locations are closed July 4, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
No appointment is needed for any of the fixed locations and there is no fee as, like the Wastemobile, services are paid for through residents’ utility bills.
Mitchell said the county also has a year-round location in Auburn. It is located in the northwest parking lot of The Outlet Collection (formerly the Auburn SuperMall), 1101 Outlet Collection Dr., S.W., near Sports Authority. The Auburn Wastemobile operates from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday.
Qualifying businesses can also use the no-cost disposal services. For more information, call (206) 263-8899 or find details at hazwastehelp.org.
For more information about disposal, including acceptable materials and quantity limits, call the Hazards Line at (206) 296-4692, between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, except holidays. Recorded information is available after hours, or by visiting the Wastemobile website at tinyurl.com/hmanv6e.
Following its visit to Redmond, the Wastemobile heads south to Renton for a household hazardous waste collection event Oct. 14-16 in the parking lot of the Fred Meyer at 365 Renton Center Way.
