BOISE, Idaho — There are countless household chemicals that you should think twice about before throwing in the trash. When disposed improperly, hazmat items can create a variety of problems for the environment and could endanger sanitation workers.
Ada County and the City of Boise collect 1.4 million pounds of hazardous waste per year, or about 52 pounds per household.
But they're always looking to improve that number.
The city and county offer multiple times and locations for you to safely dispose of common hazmat items.
"The city has set up 15 mobile collection sites that are free [and] convenient for residents," Colin Hickman, Boise Public Works communications manager said. "They can go online to check the most near location to their house - also there's the permanent facility at the Ada County landfill where folks can go during business hours to also drop off materials as well."
Hazardous materials are littered throughout the common household - inside and out. This includes your kitchens, bathrooms, garages, attics, and sheds.
"[Hazmat items] range from pesticides, paints, oils, cleaners, antifreeze, kitchen cleaners, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers," Chad Schwend said, a spokesperson for Ada County Solid Waste.
The Ada County Landfill Hazardous Material Collection Facility also provides a give-and-take system.
"Some of those things we deem good enough to be reused [are] put them on our reused shelves, and they can come up on Fridays and Saturdays between 8:00 and 6:00 and can browse through what's on the shelves and can take up to four items at a time," Schwend added.
Canyon County also provides quarterly hazmat collections, which can be found on their website.