Household Hazardous Waste Program in City of Houston
Presenter: Edward Chen
Assistant Director, Dept of Solid Waste Management, City of Houston
摘要：
The purpose of establishing Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program in Houston, the first provide the citizens of Houston with an environmentally sound disposal option for HHW and second to meet the requirements of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the city's storm water discharges.
Beginning in 1992, the city began holding one-day HHW events two to three times per year. Each of these events was held at different locations around the city in order to give all of our citizens an opportunity to dispose of HHW. The public response to these HHW days were so overwhelming that the city knew it would have to do something to accommodate the growing demand for recycling and proper disposal of HHW. Batteries, oil, paint and anti-freeze comprise 75% or more of the materials collected at a Saturday HHW event.
As a direct response, in January 1999, the Westpark Consumer Recycling Center expanded to include the BOPA program. BOPA stands for Batteries (car, truck, motorcycle); Oil (used motor oil); Paint (latex); and Anti-freeze. Citizens of Houston can now bring their BOPA to the Westpark Consumer Recycling Center. At the Westpark facility, there are trained DSWM professionals to collect and recycle BOPA.
The Department of Solid waste Management has been awarded a $27,000 grant through Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission to retrofit an existing DSWM building as Environmental Service Center as the first permanent household hazardous waste collection facility in Southeast Texas.
The Environmental Service center provides a drive-through drop-off location for the residents of Houston to deliver household chemical items that are of a hazardous nature. The ESC is a convenient alternative for the disposal and recycling of household hazardous materials that might otherwise be illegally dumped into the environment or create a potential threat if left around the home. The items accepted by the center will include paints and thinners, pesticides and herbicides, anti-freeze, toxic cleaners, oils and fuels, heavy metals and batteries. Items not accepted are explosives, ammunition, medical waste, radioactive waste, and hazardous waste from a commercial enterprise.
The mission of the Department of Solid Waste Management is to provide solid waste services to the citizens of Houston through the collection, disposal and recycling of discarded material in a matter that is safe, efficient, environmentally sound and cost-effective.