Free and safe household hazardous waste disposal

The City of Yuma will be hosting its quarterly household hazardous waste ( HHW ) drop-off event Saturday, July 13 from 6-10 a.m. in the east parking lot of the Yuma Civic Center (1440 W. Desert Hills Drive).

The city doesn’t want things that can contaminate the ground and groundwater in the local landfills.

Yuma’s residents can safely dispose of household hazardous waste products on HHW collection day.

City of Yuma Public Affairs Coordinator Dave Nash listed off some of the hazardous waste that residents should not throw away or recycle at home.

” Keep your batteries out of [your trash], you keep paint out of there, you keep old vehicle fluids out of there. That helps the environment overall especially locally here where we rely on things such as agriculture. Things getting into the groundwater could conceivably be a big problem, ” Nash said.

There’s also e-waste or electronic waste, a relatively new and often overlooked concept, including electronic components like DVD players, old cell phones, computers, light bulbs, and even headphones.

No matter the size, these electronic components have heavy metals in them that may be flammable, corrosive, toxic or reactive.

It’s highly suggested that residents take advantage of this weekend’s free drop off because the next event isn’t until October.

You can also schedule an appointment for public works to pick up your HHW items, but that comes with a fee.

For more information visit the City of Yuma website.