Cleaning your garage for Earth Day?
Filed under: Earth 911 - April 21, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Severn Williams
(510) 336-9566 C (415) 336 9623
April 21, 2007
Earth911.org and 1-800-CLEANUP provide AZ zip code-specific recycling information for everything from old paint, household chemicals, medications,
and aging electronics
Phoenix, AZ – In honor of Earth Day (April 22), this morning local resident Derrick Mains cleaned out his garage of old electronics, batteries, and other household hazardous waste and properly disposed of the items at a local Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Facility. Mains used the Web site www.Earth911.org to determine which of his discarded items were hazardous and/or recyclable and to find local drop-off locations for such items.
“I’ve been meaning to clean out my garage for some time now. Like many Americans, I’ve been stockpiling old computers, batteries, and paint thinner for years,” said Mains, who further explained, “I knew I wasn’t supposed to just throw it in the trash, but it felt like a big effort to figure out what else to do with it. Earth Day feels like the perfect occasion for getting rid of the hazardous items I’ve been saving up.”
Mr. Mains disposed of a number of items, including electronic waste such as batteries, old computers, and stereo equipment, old household cleaners and medicine, and compact fluorescent light bulbs.
This type of waste has a significant impact on the health our local environment. For instance, according to the U.S. EPA, despite the fact that batteries make up less than 1% of municipal solid waste, they are responsible for a large portion of toxic heavy metals found there. Other household hazardous waste, like used motor oil, paint and paint thinner, and even unused cleaning supplies can pollute the water and air, and must also be disposed of properly.
Americans generate 1.6 million tons of household hazardous waste per year.
“Earth Day is a great time for people to sort through old belongings and to properly dispose of any hazardous household waste,” said Anne Reichman, spokesperson for Earth 911. “What better way to honor the Earth than preventing water and air pollution by recycling and properly disposing of common hazardous materials?”
Earth 911 makes it easy for the public to find information about where to locally recycle both hazardous and non-hazardous household items through the zip code locator on the Web site, Earth911.org, and toll-free, Spanish-English hotline, 1-800-CLEANUP.
About Earth 911
For over 16 years Earth 911 has been the nation’s most widely used environmental information network, providing local access to environmental resources for communities throughout the United States. By simply entering a ZIP Code, local environmental information is available free of charge through the national Web site www.Earth911.org and toll free recycling hotline 1-800-CLEANUP (in Spanish and English).
The environmental resources and information available through Earth 911 includes:
• Recycling Center Locations
• Electronics Donation and Disposal Locations
• Safe Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Locations
• Energy Conservation Tips
• Tips on what you can do to combat Global Warming
• Green Shopping Tips
• The benefits of Composting and How-To Guide
• Local Beach Water Quality Alerts
• Business Recycling Resource Section
• Kids / Environmental Education Resources
Earth 911 provides vast economies of scale by consolidating thousands of local public notification systems into one. To keep the system current, tens of thousands of government coordinators around the country have the ability to update their community-specific recycling information. Each month over 10 million pages are viewed on the website and 30,000 calls are received on the phone system. Earth 911 provides these services through innovative public-private partnerships. Earth 911 partners with companies and industries as well as the EPA and other federal and local governments to educate businesses and individuals about the growing concerns of our planet.
Earth 911 is a recipient of the Al Gore Hammer Award for Environmental Excellence. For more information, contact Severn Williams at 510-336-9566.