Did you finally replace your old cellphone this holiday season? Don’t let it, or any of your other old electronics, collect dust in the closet when there are lots of quick and easy ways to reuse, recycle, or dispose of them. Old electronics should not go in the trash, but you have some options for safely getting rid of them.
Did you finally replace your old cellphone this holiday season? Don’t let it, or any of your other old electronics, collect dust in the closet when there are lots of quick and easy ways to reuse, recycle, or dispose of them. Old electronics should not go in the trash, but you have some options for safely getting rid of them.
Every fall, coho salmon journey from the ocean back to Pacific Northwest urban streams and creeks to reproduce and die shortly after. But after heavy rain, researchers noticed more than half, and sometimes all, of the coho in a stream would suddenly die before they could spawn. These mysterious deaths stumped biologists and toxicologists for decades. A team led by researchers at the University of Washington and Washington State University say they have finally found the answer—a very poisonous chemical related to a preservative used in car tires.
Safe disposal of hazardous waste is one of the best things you can do for human health and the environment. However, there can be some serious risks if you don’t take precautions when transporting hazardous waste to a collection site. Last November, a pickup truck carrying pails of chlorine caught fire and caused a hazmat response in Snohomish County. It’s a good reminder about the importance of handling hazardous waste with care.
Goodbye 2020! With a new year here, some might be welcoming a season of self-growth. Others may be too exhausted to even entertain the idea of resolutions. At the Haz Waste Program, we’re somewhere in the middle of the “new year, new me” spectrum. So, we came up with some realistic resolutions to share with you.
Sometimes, customers will bring in plainly dangerous wastes like lab-grade chemicals to our collection sites. What’s the big deal? Lab chemicals can cause explosions. We spoke with Nick Saelee, Environmental Field Supervisor at the North Seattle Haz Waste Facility, about what happens when explosive lab-grade chemicals are brought to a collection site. “We work with local fire, police, and sheriff departments and bomb unit technicians to neutralize the chemical. After that, the product is sent for proper disposal,” Nick said.
Toxic chemicals may be coating wrappers and containers used at popular fast-food restaurants according to a recent report released by environmental advocacy groups Toxic-Free Future and Mind the Store. The report included concerning test results that showed food wrappers testing positive for fluorine, which indicates the presence of PFAS. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, refers to a class of chemicals that are used widely in homes and businesses to make items resistant to water or fire. These chemicals never break down in the environment. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to cancer, reproductive and immune system harm, and other diseases.
Sea Mar Community Health Centers (Sea Mar) was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for their work to reduce hazardous exposures among the Latino community in South King County. Sea Mar provides quality, comprehensive health, human, housing, educational and cultural services to communities throughout Washington. The Haz Waste Program and Sea Mar partner to provide education and outreach services to encourage the Spanish-speaking community to choose safer cleaning products and practices.
This November, a Spanish-language campaign, “Ojo con el cloro” (be careful with bleach), will launch to raise awareness about using bleach safely. It features a “super mom” who is on a mission to fight germs in her home. She offers viewers some simple advice – like diluting bleach with water – to make using bleach safer. The campaign will be broadcast on television, social media, and radio channels serving the Latino community and through community partners like St. Vincent de Paul.
In 2013, the King County Board of Health passed a Rule and Regulation to create permanent drug-take back programming for King County residents. Since that time, King County departments and partners developed a successful “Don’t Hang on to Meds” campaign, which featured real-world stories on how secure medicine storage and disposal saves lives by preventing inappropriate access to medicines in the home. Secure medicine return also prevents medicine from harming our land, water, and animals.
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