Summer is a great time to clean out the garage. But what do
you do with all the stuff you find there like old paint, old gasoline, motor oil or pest control chemicals that may not be any good? Don’t throw them away in your trash can as they could leach into the landfill, and don’t pour them into your sink drain or into a ditch or storm drain (swimming in polluted waters doesn’t make for a fun vacation nor is it good for wildlife or aquatic species). Instead, there’s an environmentally safe option that the City makes available to all residential customers who pay the solid waste fee. Every Friday and Saturday, you can take these chemicals to the
Recovery Operations Center, located at 550 Atkinson Way, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. where they will be disposed of properly.
The Household Hazardous Waste Program does limit residents
to five gallons of liquid and 75 pounds of solid materials per visit, but since they are open every Friday and Saturday you don’t have to wait long to take more items for disposal. The environment gets a break and you get a clean garage. A
list of items that you can take to the Recovery Operations Center (including electronic items!) is available online.
For more information, contact Newport News 311 by dialing 311 (inside City limits) or 757-933-2311 (outside City limits) or email
311@nnva.gov.