The City of Laredo Environmental Services Department (ESD) will collect household hazardous waste at a Saturday, May 4, event at the former Hillside Park and Ride (1800 E. Hillside). The May 4 collection is one of two annual events offered by the ESD for the environmentally appropriate disposal of hazardous waste.
The ESD contracts with a specialized service provider for the disposal of all types of hazardous waste.
The drive-through is entered enter through Daugherty Ave. and exits onto Thomas Avenue. ESD staff will direct each customer based on the waste they are disposing. The first 100 people to the event receive a free promotional item.
The ESD household hazardous waste collection is free of charge to all residents willing to load up and drop off items listed below.
Laredoans are urged to looking through their homes, garages, and storage areas, under the sink and cabinets, and in broom closets for any number of items including cleaners; polishes; automotive fluids (motor oil, antifreeze, brake and transmission fluids); batteries (lead acid, carbon alkaline, rechargeable); paints/stains; lubricants; fertilizers (solid or liquid); acid/alkaline/corrosives; old/mixed gasoline; paint thinners; solvents; pool chemicals; and pesticides, insecticides, herbicides rodenticides, and fungicides.
No commercial waste or hazardous materials in volume will be accepted. The event, it is strictly for household residential amounts and types of waste.
According to the ESD’s 2018 Annual Report to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, 62,107 pounds of Household Hazardous waste from the City’s permanent facility and two annual events were collected and disposed of properly during the reporting period. Additionally, the City has collected and recycled approximately 79,725 gallons of used oil and collected five 55-gallon drums of used oil filters for recycling.
The majority of the collected waste is either re-used or recycled, and the least amount is disposed of in certified facilities. The service provider under contract with the City holds the necessary state and federal permits to collect and remove this type of waste to facilities where the waste is processed.
For those who cannot make it to the Park and Ride collection events, there is an everyday, free alternative at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at the City of Laredo Landfill at 6912 Highway 359. The free service is only two miles east of the intersection of Bob Bullock Loop 20 and Highway 359. Waste is accepted there daily Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact the City of Laredo Environmental Services Department at (956) 794-1650 or 3-1-1 for more information about the May 4 collection and what can and cannot be brought for disposal.
