Tucson Area Loses Hazardous Waste Drop-Off
For Pima County, Ariz. residents, disposing of paint and batteries just became more of a challenge.
Budget cuts have forced Pima County and the City of Tucson to reduce funding for the $600,000 regional household hazardous waste (HHW) program, which means several sites have been suspended.
Just a few examples of HHW are used motor oil, oil-based paint, auto batteries, gasoline and pesticides. Photo: Flickr/Chris Campbell
Located almost 30 miles south of Tucson, Green Valley was one city that previously had a site open twice per year to drop off HHW. Green Valley officials claim it would only take $10,000 to reinstate the program.
Tucson is still operating a permanent HHW facility that is open to all Pima County residents, so Green Valley residents do have an option to dispose of their hazardous products. This facility collects automotive fluids, batteries, paint and lawn care products, among others.
Budget cuts forcing a reduction of HHW collection is not uncommon. Earlier this year, Wisconsin cut its Clean Sweep program that collected HHW because of a loss of state grant funding.
The significance of cutting HHW collection programs is that much of this material is toxic when disposed of in landfills.
Some of these products also have alternative disposal options. Many retailers that sell batteries will accept them for recycling or you can utilize mail-in programs like Call2Recycle, and auto repair shops often accept motor oil and other car fluids.
