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Reusing hazardous waste saves city and citizens money

By Annie Vangsnes

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

In one quick trip students and Lawrence residents can take advantage of free paint and other household cleaning supplies while also disposing of hazardous waste.

The City of Lawrence/Douglas County Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 711 E. 23rd St., accepts products that are considered dangerous to the environment. It also offers a service that allows people to take usable leftover supplies and paint for free.

Before dropping off the waste or “shopping,” residents must make an appointment. When people drop off usable products such as paint, cleaning supplies, or motor oil, it is stocked on the shelves in a separate building.

Operations Supervisor Kathy Richardson said it was a popular program for Lawrence residents who either couldn’t afford supplies or were “believers of reduce, reuse, recycle”.

Roy Wimmer, Lawrence resident, is a computer-aided design technician who has been unemployed for about a year. He said he went to the facility looking for paint for the south side of his house after a power washer stripped the paint off. He had looked at paint elsewhere but he said it cost $40 for 15 gallons. He said he needed about 45 gallons and that it would have been too expensive.

Wimmer said that he had known about the reuse program for several years, but that this was the first time he had used it. He said used to think he should let other people use it who needed it more than him.

“I’m an old farm boy from central Kansas,” Wimmer said. “My dad always told me that it’s better to give than receive. Well now I’m receiving, but I’d rather be giving.”

Wimmer found his 45 gallons of paint for his house and disposed of his old car fluids in the same trip.

Tammy Parris, waste reduction and recycling specialist, said she had seen more people using the program since the recession started.

Parris said she didn’t see many students use the program and said she thought one reason was because many landlords didn’t let renters paint. She said another reason could be that renters didn’t usually do the repairs on their own houses.

“I’d like to see more students donate on move-out,” Parris said. “But they might not know about donating cleaning supplies and they don’t accumulate as much in only four or five years here.”

Richardson said the reuse program was a good way for citizens and the city to save money and recycle. She said the city saved because it had less waste to dispose of through its contractor.

“It’s win-win for everybody,” Richardson said. “We don’t have leftovers that we have to take care of.”

— — Edited by Hannah DeClerk

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