Lane County offers free hazardous waste roundup in Florence June 5-6

Florence-area households can clear out paint, household cleaners, lawn and garden chemicals, car care products, pool chemicals and fluorescent tubes at a free hazardous waste roundup June 5 and June 6, without paying disposal fees.

Lane County will hold the Household Hazardous Waste Roundup at the Florence Transfer Station, 2820 N. Rhododendron Dr., with service from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, June 5, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 6. The county said it will accept up to 35 gallons of household hazardous waste per customer, giving residents a chance to empty garages, sheds and storage cupboards before summer use ramps up.

The list of accepted materials is broader than many households expect. Along with paint and cleaners, the roundup will take lawn and garden chemicals, car care products, arts and crafts products, pool chemicals, fluorescent tubes and other hazardous household material. The county warns residents not to bring empty containers, drums, radioactive or infectious waste, asbestos, pressurized cylinders or explosives.

Lane County says the event is open to all community members, but businesses, schools, churches, government agencies and nonprofits may be charged fees and must pre-register. The roundup is funded through fees collected when commercial garbage haulers or residents bring waste to Short Mountain Landfill or one of Lane County’s 15 transfer stations.

The county says the service matters because hazardous materials can become dangerous pollutants in groundwater and streams if they are handled the wrong way. Officials also say these products can expose children and pets to harm when they sit in homes, garages or outbuildings. That makes the roundup a practical cleanup option as well as a public health step for households that have been storing old chemicals for years.

Lane County also reminds residents that electronics can be dropped off for free at several transfer stations, including Cottage Grove, Creswell, Florence, Marcola, Oakridge, Rattlesnake, Veneta and Vida, during normal operating hours. Households can bring up to seven items per day, with exclusions for commercial or floor-standing copiers and dismantled units.

For year-round hazardous waste disposal, appointments are available weekly at the Glenwood Transfer Station in Eugene through the Waste Wise Lane County app or by calling 541-682-4120, with collection appointments generally available most Thursdays and Saturdays. Lane County operates 15 transfer stations and says its Waste Management Division is working toward a 63% material recovery rate by 2025. In a prior year, nearly 425 customers dropped off hazardous waste materials in Oakridge and Florence during roundup events in April and June, a sign that rural collection days can pull a substantial volume of dangerous material out of homes and into the county system.