The 14th annual Household Hazardous Material Roundup, Sept. 10
and 17, has been expanded and this year, for the first time, will
accept computer equipment, cell phones and ink cartridges as well
as offering Englewood and Littleton residents a chance to recycle
items that accumulate around the house but can’t be thrown in the
trash.
The Keep Englewood Beautiful Commission, the city of Englewood
and the city of Littleton join forces to sponsor the project. Crews
will staff the roundup from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11,
and during the same hours on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Englewood
ServiCenter, 2800 S. Platte River Drive.
The event is limited to Englewood and Littleton residents. Staff
won’t accept materials from residents of other communities or from
commercial firms.
Each person who drops off materials must present proof that they
live in Englewood or Littleton. There is a limit of 10 gallons of
material per vehicle, and there is a cost of $20 for the service
but there is no charge to drop off computer, ink cartridges or cell
phones.
Englewood Community Development staff have been working for six
months to expand the list of items the event accepts to include
computer equipment.
“A lot of people have told me it is almost impossible to get rid
of computers and computers accessories,” Anthony Fruchtl, a planner
with community development, said in August when he told the city
council about the additions to the roundup. “We worked with a
company, Excess Computer Products. The company sells computers and
also recycles them. They agreed to set up on the site to accept
items like monitors, hard drives, keyboards and accessory equipment
at no charge.”
He said he also worked with Orvil McKenzie, a regional district
manager for a recycling company called Cartridges for
Kids.
“The company recycles out-dated cell phones and ink cartridges.
The company is working with more than 10,000 schools nationwide,”
Fruchtl said. “There is some revenue from the process and that
money will go to support the Keep Englewood Beautiful
Commission.”
Councilwoman Bev Bradshaw said the ability to recycle computers
is a service to residents as, when they can be turned in, usually
there is a fee of $25 or more to do it.
In addition to computer and computer equipment, cell phones and
ink cartridges, items that can be dropped off include automotive
batteries; oil-based paint; flammable liquids like paint thinner,
kerosene and gasoline; lawn and garden chemicals; and propane
tanks. Representatives of the Colorado Department of Public Health
and Environment will be there to accept liquid mercury and devices
containing mercury like thermometers, thermostats and
blood-pressure gauges.
While the roundup will accept antifreeze and motor oil,
organizers remind residents it isn’t necessary to save those until
the roundup, because a number of Englewood and Littleton businesses
accept the items free of charge all year so the materials can be
recycled. A list of those businesses is given to those who visit
the roundup.
Latex paint will no longer be accepted. Over the history of the
roundup, hundreds of gallons of latex paint have been collected,
but it is no longer considered a hazardous material and can be
disposed of by removing the lid to dry it out, then putting it in
the trash. Adding kitty litter to the mix speeds up the drying
process. Another option is to pour the latex paint in a
plastic-lined cardboard box, which works best if the paint is an
inch deep or less.
The first roundup was held in 1992 and was for Englewood
residents only. In ’98, the program was expanded to include
Littleton residents.
About 200 people normally visit the event. Typically they drop
off about 40 batteries, 150 gallons of antifreeze, more than 400
gallons of oil-based paints and flammable liquids, as well as
several thousand pounds of lawn and garden chemicals. Last year’s
total collections were down because weather forced cancellation of
one of the two collection days.
The goal is to recycle all the materials collected. However, the
cost of the project increases every year. In 1997, the cost of
recycling was about $50 per customer. By last year, the cost had
increased to about $80 per customer.
The roundup is staffed by volunteers from Keep Englewood
Beautiful Commission, the City of Littleton, Littleton and
Englewood firefighters, and employees of Safety-Kleen, a
hazardous-material recycling company in Englewood.
Fees from residents who use the service and donations from area
companies also help offset costs.
For information, Englewood residents can call 303-762-2347 and
Littleton residents can call 303-795-3748.
To contact Tom Munds, e-mail tmunds@ccnewspapers.net or call
303-794-1606, Ext. 1008.