Students warned of improper disposal of hazardous waste
With the end of the school year fast approaching, students will soon begin their annual spring cleaning, and for the employees of the Logan City landfill, this is the busiest time of year.
Hazardous waste technician Tony Douglass said they get a lot of problems the last week of school because no one wants to take stuff back where they’re from, so they just throw everything away.
Douglass described a variety of incidents involving USU students disposing of hazardous materials improperly, including students at an apartment complex who recently threw away gasoline. He said some of the most commonly disposed of hazardous materials are car oil, antifreeze, household cleaners and tires.
“A lot of people don’t know that Windex is hazardous waste,” Douglass said. “If people were more educated, I think they’d make the right choice when they threw things away.”
By disposing of waste properly, he said students not only help the environment, but they also avoid fines.
“Usually the first time, depending on the severity, they get a warning,” Douglass said. “After that there could be fines, and they can even have to pay for the clean up cost.”
Although there may be less incentive to properly dispose of smaller things like household chemicals, fellow technician Dan Barnes gave an alternative to taking them to a disposal facility.
“The best way to eliminate hazardous waste is to use it up,” Barnes said.
If someone doesn’t need cleaning supplies, “give it to your neighbor,” Barnes suggests. The landfill promotes the reuse of materials by recycling 50 percent of its hazardous waste, Barnes said, through vendors and environmental groups. In some cases, when things like couches, TVs, refrigerators and stoves are donated and are still in good condition, they are taken to what Barnes calls the landfill mall. These unwanted items are placed in an area where anyone in need of them can come pick them up.
If someone needs something, Barnes said, they can go down and take a look.
The landfill is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Douglass said.
He said if televisions and computer monitors are in bad condition, they must be disposed of properly because they are on the landfill list of hazardous materials.
“The Environmental Protection Agency just recently said these are hazardous,” Douglass said.
Barnes said the glass is lead-based, making improper disposal of TVs and computer monitors a hazard to ground water supplies.
When looking to clean out an apartment or dorm, students might find information on hazardous materials hard to find. If they have any questions about what’s hazardous, they can give the technicians a call, Douglass said.
“I know Utah State also has a hazardous waste facility up there,” Douglass said. “They take care of the stuff basically on campus.”
This facility, run by the Environmental Health and Resource Center, is a convenient alternative to driving waste to the landfill. Both the Logan Landfill and the Environmental Health and Resource Center are also willing to pick up hazardous material if transportation is an issue.
To give students added encouragement to take advantage of the facilities, Douglass said when dropping off materials, “Other than tires and refrigerators, the rest of it’s free.”
In summarizing the goal of their program, Douglass said, “We’re just here to basically protect our ground water and the environment.”
-liz.w@aggiemail.usu.edu