Household hazard waste collection events coming to Redmond, Sisters and La Pine in April

Spring is a good time to clean out the garage and get rid of household hazardous waste. However, these items must be disposed of safely. Knott landfill takes household hazardous waste on Fridays and Saturdays every week, but rural transfer stations aren't currently equipped to accept it.

To make it easier, and cut down on trips to the landfill, Deschutes County Solid Waste is hosting special one-day collection events this April in Redmond, Sisters, and La Pine. Residents can drop off household hazardous items at these events for free.

Here are the event locations, dates and hours of operation for each community:

• Redmond: Negus Transfer Station - 2400 NE Maple Ave.

Saturday, April 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Sisters: Sisters Recycling Center - 328 Sisters Park Drive

Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• La Pine: South County Services Center parking lot - 51340 U.S. 97

Saturday, April 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"Improper disposal of household hazardous waste can harm the environment and community health by allowing toxic chemicals to leak into the soil and groundwater," said Greg Brady, Deschutes County Hazardous Waste Supervisor. "We hope that by offering these free, one-day events we can reduce the amount of hazardous waste going into the county landfill."

Items that will be accepted at the collection events include:

• Oil and latex paints and stains
• Thinners, solvents, fuels
• Oil soaked rags and absorbents
• Pool and spa chemicals
• Garden products (herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.)
• Vehicle fluids (coolants, lubricants, fuels, brake fluid, transmission fluid, etc.)
• BBQ grill size propane tanks and camp stove cylinders
• Aerosols (paints, garden sprays, cleaners, etc.)
• Mercury and Mercury-containing items (thermometers, thermostats, etc.)
• Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent bulbs
• Rechargeable batteries
• Household cleaners

Items that will not be accepted include:

• Business-generated hazardous waste
• Medical waste
• Explosives, fireworks, ammunition
• Compressed gas cylinders (propane tanks and cylinders are accepted)
• Containers larger than 5 gallons

Household hazardous waste (HHW) is also accepted free of charge at the Knott Landfill HHW Facility every Friday and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The facility is located at 61050 SE 27th St. in southeast Bend. To learn more about common hazardous waste materials visit the Solid Waste Department website.

For questions about the HHW collection events, please call the Department of Solid Waste at (541) 317-3163.

You can learn more about the HHW collection program by listening to episode 51 of the Inside Deschutes County Podcast on the podcast platform of your choice, or at deschutes.org/podcast.

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Media Contact:

Greg Brady, Hazardous Waste Supervisor

(541) 322-7173