20th annual Household Hazardous Waste Day

For the 20^th year in a row, the city of Hoover is offering its residents a way to properly dispose of hazardous household items that shouldn’t go in the garbage.

This year’s Household Hazardous Waste Day is scheduled for April 21 in the parking lot at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, from 8 a.m. to noon.

It’s a chance for people to safely get rid of things such as leftover wet paint, automotive fluids, household cleaners, pesticides, batteries, tires and more.

Last year, 1,415 Hoover residents brought items to dispose, according to Robin Mangino, administrative services supervisor for the Hoover Public Works and Park Maintenance Department.

That included enough paint and paint-related materials to fill 132 3-yard boxes and 16 pallets, city records show. Workers also collected 52 55-gallon drums of pesticides, eight 55-gallon drums of flammable liquids and solids, eight 55-gallon drums of antifreeze, six 55-gallon drums and seven 5-gallon containers of household batteries and 40 55-gallon drums of other hazardous materials.

Residents also brought about 750 gallons of used motor oil, about 250 gallons of used cooking oil, 165 tires, 226 car batteries, 10 boxes of aerosols, 40 fire extinguishers, 124 1-pound propane tanks, 40 20-pound propane tanks, nine 100-pound propane tanks, 1,434 compact bulbs and 1,323 fluorescent bulbs, records indicate.

Hoover police last year reported they collected 35 to 40 boxes of old prescription medication, a 22-caliber revolver, a pellet gun, a small box of fireworks, a couple of flares, a box of reloading supplies and 50 to 75 pounds of ammunition, mostly shotgun shells. Police also will collect explosives, edged weapons and military ordnance and souvenirs.

The Foundry Rescue and Recovery Center is supposed to be present again, collecting equipment such as TV sets, printers, computers, keyboards, power cables, radios and telephones. The Foundry last year took in about four truckloads and will refurbish and resell usable items and recycle the rest, Mangino said.

The city also collected 125 U.S. flags for proper disposal by the Boy Scouts of America and American Legion, she said.

Household Hazardous Waste Day is open to Hoover residents only. Materials will not be accepted from people who live outside the city or from businesses, Mangino said. People should bring a valid driver’s license or current photo ID with their address included.

MXI Environmental Services is the company hired to dispose of most materials, but B&B Tires will take the tires, Mangino said.

ACCEPTED ITEMS

► Aerosol spray cans (with contents)

► Automotive fluids (motor oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, gas and/or mixed gas)

► Batteries (automotive and alkaline)

► Caulk/glue

► Drain cleaners/openers

► Fluorescent tubes/light bulbs

► Household cleaners (bleach, oven cleaners, metal cleaners, polishes and toilet cleaners)

► Oil and latex paint, aerosol paint, paint thinners/strippers/removers (Please note that empty latex paint containers and hardened solid paint are safe to put in the regular garbage. People can bring the liquid to a solid by mixing the paint with cat litter, sand or sawdust. Please remove the paint can lid before putting in your trash bin.)

► Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers

► Polish (auto and furniture)

► Wood preservative

► Wallpaper remover

► Grease and rust solvents

► Stains/varnish

► Standard vehicle tires (No commercial or heavy equipment tires will be accepted.)

► Preservatives

► Lighter fluid

► Kerosene

► Mothballs

► Insect repellent

► Used cooking oil

► Prescription and non-prescription medication

► Fireworks/pyrotechnics/flares

► Gunpowder

► Military ordnance/relics/souvenirs

► Ammunition

► Explosives and explosive materials

► Reloading supplies

► Firearms

► Edged weapons

► Computer monitors, keyboards, mouse, cables

► Power supplies

► TV sets

► Radios/stereos

► Telephones

► Sealed medical waste containers

NOT ACCEPTED ITEMS

► Refrigerators/freezers

► Stoves/microwaves

► Toasters/toaster ovens

► Coffee makers

► Oxygen bottles

► Smoke detectors

► Lawn equipment (weed trimmers, mowers)

► Radioactive material of any kind

► Asbestos

► PCB

► Air conditioners

► Unidentified materials and  containers