The City of Bellevue is among local King County cities finding creative ways to adapt their Hazardous Waste Management Program grant-funded educational activities to the pandemic. At an early September event, city staff came together with service organization Hopelink and the Bellevue School District for a drive-through event to provide environmental conservation kits.  

Participants maintained social distancing as they drove up to stations to receive the kits which included a zip-it clog remover (a safer alternative to chemical clog removers), DIY safer cleaning recipes, and youth activity folders with a household hazardous waste activity guide. Hopelink’s Mobile Market, a traveling food bank, also provided boxes of food to households that came through the event. 

With COVID-19, more people are being exposed to toxic cleaning products as they focus on cleaning and disinfecting their homes. The pandemic has also resulted in many paychecks, jobs, and businesses lost. So, many King County residents must rely on food banks and pantries to access a reliable and healthy source of food for their families. 

The City of Bellevue handed out over 100 safer cleaning kits and youth activity folders. Information was available in both English and Spanish. 

Image courtesy of City of Bellevue.