LIHUE — The County of Kauai is assisting residents with diverting potentially hazardous chemicals from the landfill through ongoing household hazardous waste collection events. Residents were offered an opportunity to clean out their storage areas of household hazardous waste over
LIHUE — The County of Kauai is assisting residents with diverting potentially hazardous chemicals from the landfill through ongoing household hazardous waste collection events.
Residents were offered an opportunity to clean out their storage areas of household hazardous waste over the weekend as Oahu-based Enviro Services hosted collections at the Kapaa, Hanalei, Lihue and Hanapepe refuse transfer stations.
“Kauai is real good about turning in their hazardous materials,” said Mary Tulabut of Enviro Services. “On Oahu, we have collections every other month, but on Kauai, it’s just two times a year. People who missed this collection will have to wait at least six months for the next one.”
Tulabut said there was a steady stream of people bringing in material which they had stored until the event.
Items which were collected included household cleaners, hobby supplies, including adhesives and aerosol paints, lawn and garden products and compact flourescent lightbulbs.
During the collection, Enviro Services had a special apparatus which removed the liquid contents from aerosol cans and crushed the containers, making it safe for disposal or recycling.
Some of the hazardous materials such as CFLs can be disposed of safely at The Home Depot. Lead-acid batteries, including car and vehicle batteries at specified locations found on the kauai.gov website, and alkaline, lithium and ni-cad batteries at the Kauai Resource Center on Ahukini Road.
Additionally, electronic equipment, including computers and computer monitors can be disposed of through the free eWaste recycling program on the second Friday and Saturday of each month at the Kauai Resource Center.
“The short term goal for the county is to continue to offer semi-annual events to assist residents with planning this special disposal,” said Allison Fraley, the county’s solid waste coordinator. “The long term goal is to collect this material even more frequently at a permanent facility as recommended in the county’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan.”
Fraley said people should practice source reduction and reuse for material, a practice which is better than recycling.
“People should only purchase what they need, and use everything up,” Fraley said. “They should donate still-usable product to family, friends and neighbors.”
Residents can also call Restore Kauai in Kapaa, or at the Habitat for Humanity in Hanapepe to see if these agencies are able to accept items for reuse.
“The ultimate fix is to source reduce these toxic products whenever possible and to use green alternatives,” Fraley said.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
