Alamance County schedules household hazardous waste collection events
Southeast High School will take cleaners, paint, batteries and gasoline June 20, keeping them out of trash, storm drains and backyard storage piles. Another drop-off is set for Oct. 3 at Holly Hill Mall.
Alamance County is opening a free, legal outlet for household chemicals and other risky leftovers before they spill into trash bins, storm drains or sheds. The next household hazardous waste collection runs Saturday, June 20, from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at Southeast High School, rain or shine. County officials have also set a second 2026 collection for Saturday, Oct. 3, at Holly Hill Mall.
The event is built for the kinds of items many homes accumulate and then delay getting rid of: household cleaners, drain openers, toilet-bowl cleaners, oven cleaners, disinfectants, solvents, thinners, shellacs, varnishes, sealers and wood preservatives. It also accepts automotive products including brake fluid, antifreeze, used motor oil up to five gallons, filters and gasoline, along with pesticides, insecticides, batteries, photographic chemicals, pool chemicals, mercury, fluorescent tubes, CFLs, latex paint, oil-based paint, spray paint and propane cylinders in grill and camp size only. The county says the program is for household-generated waste only, with no commercial or business waste accepted, and more information is available by calling 336-376-8902.
The landfill says the collection events are sponsored twice a year for residents and are co-sponsored with NC Cooperative Extension Services and the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program. The operation overview says the household hazardous waste program holds three one-day collection events each year and averages more than 55,000 pounds collected per program, a sign of how much material keeps moving out of garages, utility closets and workshops when residents have a place to take it.
County and federal officials say the alternative is not harmless. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says improper disposal can mean pouring hazardous waste down drains, onto the ground, into storm sewers or into regular trash. The agency warns that illegal dumping can threaten public health, safety, property values and quality of life. Alamance County Environmental Health says poor disposal and storage can also lead to groundwater contamination, rodent and mosquito breeding, fire hazards and injuries from corrosive chemicals and sharp objects. The county landfill says its landfill, convenience center and recycling centers are for solid waste generated in Alamance County, making the June 20 and Oct. 3 collections a direct local fix for a local problem.
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