The District Department of Public Works (DPW) will hold its annual spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, May 11, 2002 from 9 am to 3 pm at 3815 Fort Drive, NW (adjacent to Alice Deal Jr. High School, Nebraska Avenue and Davenport Street, NW). The customary site at Carter Barron Amphitheatre was unavailable this year.

"Certain common household products we keep in and around the home--sometimes for years--can be dangerous to the environment or human health, if not disposed of properly," said Leslie Hotaling, Director of DPW. Residents are encouraged to keep hazardous chemicals, products and other material in their original containers for disposal.

DC residents can bring items including old cleaning and gardening chemicals, pesticides and poisons, acids, varnish, oil-based paints, solvents, aerosols, wood preservatives, as well as spent batteries and automotive fluids to the collection site for environmentally safe disposal or recycling. Residents may also bring computers and TVs to the collection site, although broken CRT tubes cannot be accepted. There will be a small fee charged for disposal of TVs and computer monitors. All other materials are accepted free.

A professional hazardous waste contractor will remove materials from residents' cars. A licensed hauler will take the waste to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved facility for processing. It is estimated that the average home contains between 50 and 100 pounds of accumulated hazardous waste including car batteries, paint and petroleum products.

Items that will not be accepted during the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day include ammunition, explosives, gas cylinders, and radioactive or biologically active wastes.