HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — If you’re wondering what to do with that colorful collection of clutter in your garage – from paint cans to laptops, Hillsborough County Solid Waste has you covered.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but in some cases that treasure should stay buried.
Stephanie Watson from Hillsborough County Solid Waste said not disposing of certain items responsibly could be problematic.
“If you have the batteries from your laptops and phones and they get compressed, they can cause a fire,” she said.
The county is helping residents responsibly dump those domestic dangers.
“Batteries, electronics, chemicals, bring them to us and we will take them off your hands,” she said.
Danny Gallagher, the project manager of the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Department, said the county is not only trying to make this easy but also ecological.
“It’s taking responsibility for the waste they produce, and we provide them with a free service to protect the solid waste system. If you can’t put this stuff in your body, you shouldn’t be putting it down the drain, letting your kids get to it, letting your pets get to it, dumping it in the backyard," he said.
More than 200 people showed up to today’s recycling event at the Hillsborough Heights Solid Waste Facility in Seffner disposing of everything from pool chemicals to electronics.
Andrew Pachuta just moved here and wanted to make sure he was a good steward of the environment.
“We got some motor oil, some anti-freeze and a big dresser that I want to dispose of,” he said.
Melvin Hiles also said it's important to get rid of these things properly.
“I change the oil and then I got all this stuff leftover that I have got to recycle,” he said.
Both Pachuta and Hiles said they are proud to get rid of that harmful junk in their trunk, and Gallagher said he appreciates people being part of the solution instead of the pollution.
"Respect your mother Earth,” he said
Hillsborough County offers this service three times a month to help get rid of those hazardous materials. For more information, you can check out the county website.