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Waste Management

Resource Recovery Service Centers

Realizing the need for better management of household hazardous waste within Ottawa County, the Ottawa County Environmental Health Division opened four Resource Recovery Service Centers throughout the County. Materials that are accepted at the Resource Recovery Service Centers include:

Household Hazardous Waste
Used Motor Oil
Consumer Electronics
Recyclable Materials (Annual membership required for recycling services)

The locations are:

Resource Recovery Service Center - Coopersville Hours: M, 12-5pm; W, 8-1pm; 3rd Sat. 8-Noon 15600 68th Avenue Coopersville, MI 49404	Resource Recovery Service Center - Georgetown Hours: T, 12-5pm; Th, 8-1pm; 1st Sat. 8-Noon 6693 Roger Drive Jenison, MI 49428
Resource Recovery Service Center - Grand Haven Hours: M & W, 8-1pm, 2-5pm; 4th Sat. 8-Noon 16850 Comstock Avenue Grand Haven, MI 49417	Resource Recovery Center-Holland Hours: T & Th, 8-1pm, 2-5pm; 2nd Sat. 8-1pm, 2-5pm 14053 Quincy Holland, MI 49424

The Resource Recovery Centers are closed on the following days:

Saturday, May 29, 2010	Memorial Day Weekend
Monday, May 31, 2010	Memorial Day Holiday
Saturday, July 3, 2010	July 4th Weekend
Monday, July 5, 2010	July 4th Holiday
Saturday, September 4, 2010	Labor Day Weekend
Monday, September 6, 2010	Labor Day Holiday
Thursday, November 25, 2010	Thanksgiving Holiday
Saturday, November 27, 2010	Thanksgiving Weekend
Thursday, December 23, 2010	Half Day Day before Christmas Eve (close at noon)
Saturday, December 25, 2010	Christmas Hoiday
Friday, December 31, 2010	Half Day New Years Eve (close at noon)
Saturday, January 1, 2011	News Years Holiday

If you require additional information please ask an attendant or call (616) 393-5645. Thank you.

Household Hazardous Waste Program

Household hazardous wastes are leftover, unwanted or unusable products that contain toxic (poisonous), flammable, caustic (causes burns), or chemically reactive ingredients. For example, oil-based paint, drain cleaners, pool chemicals, pesticides, hobby supplies, used motor oil, car batteries and antifreeze contain hazardous ingredients. Dumping hazardous waste improperly can cause contamination to the environment and may pose a health hazard to you. Some of these items can be reused, others can be recycled, and some of them must be managed as hazardous waste. The Ottawa County Health Department offers FREE disposal of household hazardous wastes to Ottawa County residents, at any Resource Recovery Service Center. Click here to download a checklist of accepted materials. In addition to these products, we also accept fire extinguishers and 20 pound propane tanks at all four Resource Recovery Service Centers. For additional information call (616) 393-5645 or email: jtien@miottawa.org.

Latex Paint Disposal

Unusable latex paint, while not considered hazardous, must be dried prior to disposal. When drying latex paint, always choose an area that is well ventilated, protected from the elements and not accessible to children or pets. For small amounts of paint, simply open the container and allow the contents to air dry.

Larger quantities of latex paint can be more quickly solidified by mixing in an absorbent such as cat litter or floor dry (available at a hardware or automotive store). Mix in enough absorbent until the paint becomes difficult to stir and is no longer liquid. Allow the paint can to dry with the lid off. The container may be placed in the regular trash. Download latex paint disposal instructions.

Full, unused cans of paint that have not been frozen can be donated to Lakeshore Habitat Restore. Please contact them for more information at (616) 399-7006.

Small Business Hazardous Waste

The Ottawa County Environmental Health Division provides confidential, non-regulatory assistance and referral to industry to properly manage hazardous wastes.

Our Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator program provides environmentally safe and economical disposal of hazardous waste delivered to our collection facilities on a fee for service basis. A conditionally exempt small quantity generator generates less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of hazardous waste in a month and accumulates no more than 1000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) total at a time. This service is by appointment only. For more information, please call (616) 393-5645.

Guidelines for proper disposal of hazardous waste:

Determine if the waste is hazardous waste. This is done by either knowledge of the hazardous characteristics of the waste or the process used to generate the waste or by testing. Accumulate the waste in an area where it is protected from weather, fire, physical damage, and vandals. The waste must also be accumulated in a manner that prohibits a release into the soil, groundwater, or into drains or sewers. Label the container with the contents name; e.g. “Used Oil” or “spent antifreeze.” Keep each storage container in good condition and replace any leaking ones. Keep the container closed except when adding or removing waste. Avoid over filling the container. Use a container compatible with the type of waste placed in it. Ship hazardous waste to an approved recycling, reclamation, or disposal facility.

Used Motor Oil Recycling

Each year, thousands of gallons of used motor oil is produced by do-it-yourself oil changes. Improper management of used oil can have detrimental effects on the environment. As little as one quart of oil can contaminate 2 million gallons of drinking water! Recognizing the need to supply Ottawa County Residents with an avenue to dispose of their motor oil, the Ottawa County Health Department offers FREE oil recycling for its residents. Residents can recycle used oil for no cost at any Resource Recover Center.

Clean Sweep Free Pesticide Disposal

Clean Sweep is a FREE, non-regulatory program to help you safely dispose of banned and/or unusable pesticides. The Ottawa County Health Department hosts one of fifteen regional Clean Sweep Pesticide Collection Centers in the State.

Who can use the program?

Clean Sweep is simple and easy. Any Michigan homeowner, farm, greenhouse, nursery, golf course or other end user of pesticides can use this service. However, dealers or persons who apply pesticides for hire may not use this program.

What can I bring and how much?

Old, unwanted, out-of-date or unusable pesticides can be dropped off for safe disposal. Please do not bring items that do not have an EPA Registration number.

Questions?

For more information contact jtien@miottawa.org or call (616) 393-5645. Visit the Clean Sweep Website.

Mercury

Mercury is a naturally occurring toxic element found in household devices like thermometers and thermostats. Inhalation of mercury vapor can lead to neurological damage in children. When handling mercury containing devices, care should be taken not to break or spill the mercury in the home and ensure the mercury is disposed of properly. Here’s how you can help!

As part of our pollution prevention outreach, the Health Department offers free programs to assist residents, health care facilities, and contractors to safely dispose of mercury.

Mercury Containing Thermometers

The Ottawa County Health Department offers a Thermometer Exchange program, free for Ottawa County Residents. Residents can bring their mercury containing thermometers to any health department branch or Resource Recovery Service Center and we will give you a free digital thermometer in exchange. There is a limit of one digital thermometer per resident (regardless of the number of mercury thermometers that are brought in).

Mercury Containing Devices and Elemental Mercury

Schools, homes, health care facilities, and businesses may have mercury containing devices such as barometers, thermometers, sphygmomanometers, mercury switches, and elemental mercury. Please call (616)-494-5569 or (616)393-5638 for instructions on proper handling of mercury and to arrange for free disposal.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Compact Fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and fluorescent lights contain very small amounts of mercury in the form of a vapor powder. Ottawa County Residents can recycle CFLs at their local Home Depot store. Four and eight foot fluorescent light bulbs can be recycled for free at any Ottawa County Resource Recovery Service Center.

Useful Links

Sharps Disposal Program

The Ottawa County Health Department offers free Home Use-Medical Sharps Containers to ensure safe disposal of syringes.

Residents using syringes to administer medication at home have long faced the concern of how to properly dispose of their sharps, often with little choice but to throw them in the trash. To help prevent risk of injury, infection and pollution, the Ottawa County Health Department offers a Home Use-Medical Sharps Container for diabetics injecting insulin or those needing to administer medications at home by injection.

Ottawa County Residents may stop by any Ottawa County Health Office to receive a Home Use-Sharps Container, provided FREE of charge. Once full, participants will be allowed to exchange containers for a new one. The Health Department will dispose of full containers through a licensed medical waste disposal company. Only sharps containers provided by the Ottawa County Health Department will be accepted!

Prescription Drug Disposal

Personal unwanted, unneeded or expired medicines are accepted at any of three health department offices located in Holland, Grand Haven and Hudsonville during regular hours. Please remove any pills from the pill bottle and place them in a plastic bag before dropping them off at the Health Department. Due to Federal Regulations, the Ottawa County Health Department cannot accept controlled medications. To determine whether or not your medications are controlled, contact your pharmacist. Please contact your local law enforcement agency if you wish to dispose of controlled medications. If you have any questions about unwanted medication collection, please call 393-5645.