At the Household Hazardous Waste Center, employees wearing protective equipment sort materials by type. On one cart sits a bag of old nail polish bottles — nail polish and makeup are the items the HHW is highlighting this month, but employees say anyone who brings in hazardous items for recycling or disposal can get a freebie.
Kalamazoo County Health and Human Services Public Information Officer Matt Johnson says the promotion doesn’t have a set end date in sight.
“Sticky notes, things like that. Highlighters, pens, those kind of things," Johnson said of the freebies offered. "Just a quick incentive for people to take advantage of the opportunity they have to recycle some of their household hazardous waste.”
The HHW exists to recycle or safely dispose of items that can be bought at a store but shouldn't be thrown in household trash. They accept a wide variety of items — from lithium batteries and kerosene to Christmas lights and hairspray. Johnson said certain items like these shouldn't go in the trash because they could harm the environment.
"When you throw them away, some of these hazardous things that are in these materials can end up seeping into the ground," Johnson said. "It's a whole range of materials that that they accept there at the household hazardous waste center. So we don't want to see these things get into our ground, get into our water."
Once at the HHW, employees sort the materials and determine whether they can be recycled. Some materials are easier to recycle, like pure motor oil, while others can't be recycled and have to be disposed of.
"They recycle what they can recycle and dispose of what they need to dispose of in a safe manner that prevents it from infecting our environment," Johnson said.
Employees said anyone who mentions the freebie promotion or shows an ad mentioning the freebie promotion when bringing in an item accepted at the HHW can receive a free small item. Although nail polish and makeup are featured in ads running this month, employees said any accepted items brought in are eligible for the promotion.
A full list of items accepted at the HHW can be found on the HHW website.
