Public: Waste Disposal: Garbage Collection
Curbside Hazmat Pickup   (+2)  [vote for, against]
Curbside pickup of not-trashable items.

For years, we've been told by the EPA and other organizations that disposing of car batteries, household paint, and motor oil is to be done in a decent manner through a recycling service. However, such services are incovenient and often hard to find--the local car shop doesn't want that car battery or motor oil any more than you do, and good luck trying to find someone who will take the paint.

Regular curbside trash and recyclable pickup services reject these items, often leaving a note on colored paper informing you of the restrictions.

Why not, even if it is a paid request service, offer curbside pickup of these items? Even at a charge per pickup, it would be easier than trying to get it to your local hazmat recycler or pickup location. A specially modified truck with a resivoir for user motor oil, a bin for car batteries, and numerous other compartments would be in order.
-- Baker^-1, Mar 20 2004

I've been wanting to get rid of this Cobalt-60 for years.
-- Detly, Mar 20 2004


Detly, is half of it gone already?
-- theircompetitor, Mar 20 2004


Hazardous Fishbones for this one... This is completely baked. Every town I've ever lived in has done this. Usually only a few times a year. I can remember one instance as well where it was done for a fee as a fund-raiser for a local kids group.
-- zigness, Mar 21 2004


I second zigness, in some communities this is 100% baked and a darn good idea at that.

My grandpop ran a neon sign business out of the house for years before I was born. It took 5 YEARS of twice-annual haz-mat days, at maximum weight and volume to get rid of the lead paint, wood preservatives, mercury & the other bad stuff left from the business.
-- TD3, Oct 07 2004


In NY if an auto shop sells over a certain amount of oil, it has to accept oil back from consumers.
-- leemur, Dec 26 2004



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