What’s hiding in the garage?

Drop-off center takes paint and other hazardous wastes

By Shanti Hahler

For The Herald

EVERETT — Anyone who has ever painted a house or done other household projects knows there are always leftover materials such as glue or paint thinner.

These products are often shoved to the back shelf and sit around in basements or sheds, sometimes for years until someone moves them to another corner.

"I have about 10 old paint cans here, and we’ve probably had them around for five years. They’ve been sitting in the garage until we started going through it, deciding what we did and didn’t need anymore," said Tim Woolsey, a customer at the Hazardous Waste Drop-off Station on McDougall Avenue.

Until people move out or start spring cleaning, it’s easy to forget about the old cans of paint and solvents.

"It’s pretty typical when you buy a house to find this kind of stuff in the basement, and there is probably even more in the garage. It’s an absolutely great service they have here. You can drop things off that otherwise might get into the wrong hands," said Chet Motekaitis, another customer.

In addition to accepting hazardous materials for free, the station offers several ways for community members to help keep the environment safe and save a few dollars.

Free paint is available by the bucket in a variety of neutral colors, perfect for painting a fence or garage. Last year the station gave away 18,000 gallons of free paint. They can hardly keep it in stock during the summer months.

You can also receive a free digital thermometer if you bring in your old mercury one.

Station officials said the storage of potentially dangerous products such as fluorescent tubes, old paint and transmission fluid can be an environmental problem and pose a health threat for children and pets.

Some products that many people use in their daily lives but are unaware of their hazardous potential are also accepted at the station. These include batteries, bleach, chemistry sets, shoe polish, mothballs and more.

"A lot of people think that if they buy something at the grocery store, they can just throw it away later. People need to start thinking of these things as hazardous, too," said Dave Shea, a supervisor at the station.

Jennifer Rosholt, another customer, came in with an empty propane tank and several old paint cans.

"It’s stuff we’ve accumulated over the last two years. We’ve stained the fence and the deck, and we got a new barbecue so we wanted to get rid of the old propane tank.

"When I got here, they said that if the cans are dry I could just throw them away. It’s all been stored in the garage and you know, you really just want to get rid of the stuff," Rosholt said.

Thanks to a state grant and part of the fee from neighborhood curbside garbage pickup, the station accepts materials free of charge. It does not accept medical waste, asbestos or explosives.

The Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Station in Everett is located at 3434 McDougall Ave. It is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The station is open to businesses by appointment on Wednesdays for a fee. The phone number is 425- 388-6050.

There are four drop-off stations in Island County. To find one near you, call 360-679-7368. The local calling option for Camano Island residents is 360- 4522, ext. 7386, and for South Whidbey call 360-321-5111, ext. 7386.

In spring, summer and fall, mobile drop-off locations are offered in Snohomish County. Large tents are set up, usually in grocery store parking lots, where people can bring in waste. The next mobile event will be in April.