Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Many regularly used household items such as cleaning chemicals, pesticides and antifreeze can start house fires and threaten the environment if they're not used and disposed of properly.

To tackle this problem, the Kootenai County Solid Waste Department offers county residents use of its new Household Hazardous Waste Facility.

After demolishing the last center, which had become outdated, the new 6,000-square-foot Ramsey Transfer Station is equipped with a material drop-off, with drive-through service and on-site environmental technicians. Projected costs for design by Great West Engineering and construction by National Native American Construction of Coeur d’Alene were about $1.5 million and funded solely through the solid waste enterprise fund without any tax dollars.

Limited to Kootenai County residents exclusively, the facility can manage the disposal of common household hazardous materials such as paints, solvents, cleaning chemicals, pool products, pesticides, herbicides, poisons, gasoline, antifreeze, matches and batteries.

Customers can dispose of up to 10 gallons of materials per collection day at no cost.

“Disposal of hazardous waste is a problem in most areas around the county,” Kootenai County Solid Waste director Cathy Mayer said. “This facility is important because it gives households an option to properly dispose of household materials that will end up at the landfill and harm the environment.”

There is also an exchange program at the station where collected materials are salvaged to find reusable material like paint or fertilizer. This material is available to county residents over 18 who can select five free products per day.

For the movers and the remodelers, the Ramsey Transfer Station includes a drop-off area for household refrigeration units like freezers, air conditioners and refrigerators. Therefore before any metal is recycled, the county staff can decommission and recycle the refrigerant.

“It is critical that these items be properly managed through the household hazardous waste and special waste disposal programs and not disposed of with trash,” Mayer said.

Only Kootenai County property owners who pay annual solid waste fees can take advantage of the service. No commercial or non-county residents are allowed.

The Ramsey Household Hazardous Waste Transfer Station is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and its sister site, the Prairie Transfer Station collection, is accessible Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Info: https://www.kcgov.us/380/Solid-Waste