Get rid of your potentially harmful items with ease at this disposal event coming to Astoria later this month.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 21, the Department of Sanitation is hosting a free SAFE (Solvents, Automotive, Flammables and Electronics) Disposal event so residents can properly throw away potentially hazardous household materials.
The event will take place rain or shine in the Astoria Park parking lot. Residents who are driving to the free event should enter from Ditmars Boulevard onto 21st Street and there will be a walk-in area available for residents taking public transportation.
Acceptable items for the drive include automotive products such as motor oil, transmission fluid and auto batteries; unwanted medications; cosmetics; thermometers; pesticides; paint; hazardous cleaners; compact fluorescent light bulbs; electronics; and syringes, which should be clearly labeled and packaged in a “sharps” container or other leak proof, puncture-resistant container.
Materials that are collected during the drive are either recycled, blended for fuel, or sent to licensed hazardous waste treatment facilities for safe disposal. Electronics are responsibly recycled or refurbished for reuse through e-cycleNYC and unwanted medications are managed by environmental police and incinerated to prevent unintentional poisonings or entry into the water supply.
For those unable to participate in the events, visit www.nyc.gov/safedisposal or contact 311 for other year round options to handle auto products, batteries, cellphones, electronics, fluorescent lamps, latex paint, mercury devices and syringes.
