1 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-1
An employee for the city of Hoover, Alabama, helps unload items at the city''s 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
2 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-2
Vehcles wait in line to unload items at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
3 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-4
A worker unloads items at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
4 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-10
A worker tosses an aerosol can into a box at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
5 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-6
Workers unload items at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
6 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-7
Workers unload items at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
7 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-8
Workers sort through items brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
8 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-9
A worker wraps up materials brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
9 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-11
Workers unload items at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
10 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-12
Workers unload and sort through items brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
11 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-13
Zac Mitchell pours some batteries into a larger container at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
12 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-15
Brian Potter, vice president of operations for MXI Enviornmental, unloads some paint brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
13 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-16
Tim Hayes, at left, and Bruce Davis of the Foundry Rescue and Recovery Center load electronic items brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
14 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-17
Tim Hayes of the Foundry Rescue and Recovery Center loads electronic items onto a truck at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
15 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-18
A workers carries a computer brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
16 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-19
Residents of Hoover, Alabama, brought roughly 150 tires to the city's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
17 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-20
The Hoover Police Department collected roughly 60 pounds of ammunition at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
18 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-21
Hoover police Officer Kevin Lawson and Detective Jennifer Stewart helped collect guns, ammunition and other items brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
19 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-22
Hoover police Detective Jennifer Stewart shows an M-18 military smoke grenade dropped off at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
20 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-23
Hoover police Detective Jennifer Stewart shows an M-18 military smoke grenade dropped off at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
21 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-24
The Hoover Police Department collected seven rifles at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
22 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-25
This bag of fireworks was brought to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
23 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-26
The Hoover Police Department collected about nine pistols and roughly 60 pounds of ammunition at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
24 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-14
Residents of Hoover, Alabama, brought lots of aerosol cans to the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
25 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-5
Workers unload items at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
26 of 26
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-3
Brett Wallis, at left, and Michael Bibb pour used cooking oil into a larger container at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
More than 1,450 people took advantage of the city of Hoover’s 20th annual Household Hazardous Waste Day today at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
Collectively, they brought roughly 100,000 to 150,000 pounds of materials better left out of the landfill, said Brian Potter, vice president of operations for MXI Environmental, the company the city hired to safely dispose of the items.
About one-third of that was latex paint, while another third was flammable liquids, Potter said. The rest were a wide variety of items that included pesticides, batteries, oxidizers and items with mercury in them.
One person brought about a pound of DDT, a synthetic organic compound used as an insecticide that is now banned in many countries, including the United States. Another person brought a pound or two of calcium carbide, a compound that underground coal miners once used to create light in their lamps, Potter said.
The city of Hoover also collected about 150 tires, about 200 car batteries, close to 1,000 gallons of motor oil and about 180 gallons of cooking oil, based on rough estimates provided by Public Works Director Tommy Daniel.
The Hoover Police Department took in seven rifles, about nine pistols, about 60 pounds of ammunition, a bag of fireworks and even an M-18 military smoke grenade. But there was no antique German rifle like the one brought by an 84-year-old man last year.
Photo by Jon Anderson
hoover waste day 2018-26
The Hoover Police Department collected about nine pistols and roughly 60 pounds of ammunition at the city of Hoover's 2018 Household Hazardous Waste Day in the parking lot at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama.
The Foundry Rescue and Recovery Center was at Hoover’s Household Hazardous Waste Day as well and collected three truckloads of electronics, such as TV screens, computers and printers. The nonprofit will recondition and resell items that are still usable and properly dispose of the rest, workers said.
City workers also collected roughly 40 U.S. flags that will be disposed of by the Boy Scouts of America and American Legion.
People sometimes bring some unusual items to Household Hazardous Waste Day. This year, one person brought several cases of wine, Daniel said.
Susan Accinno of the Inverness community said this was her first year to take advantage of the event. She brought some old paint products and pesticides that had been sitting around her house for a long time and two old fax machines, she said.
“I’m so excited I could make it to this today,” Accinno said. “I think it’s wonderful. I’m all for recycling and discarding properly.”