Household Hazardous Waste

In an effort to divert hazardous waste from local landfills and dispose of these items responsibly through recycling and reuse, Okaloosa County accepts a variety of household hazardous wastes. This includes, but is not limited to: paints, pesticides, used oil, oil filters, pool chemicals, batteries, gas, solvents, paint products, tar, automotive chemicals, fluorescent bulbs, smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, computer monitors, etc., and is free of charge to residential customers.

FREE Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off

In Fort Walton Beach (south), 80 Ready Ave:  FREE Drop-off for local residents every Tuesday thru Saturday from 8am - 3pm, no appointment necessary. For information call 850-301-2013.

In Crestview, (north county) 1759 S. Ferdon Blvd.: Hazardous waste can be dropped off Monday through Friday, 7 AM until 4 PM, for information call 850-301-2013.     NOTE: HOLIDAY CLOSURES; CALL TO CONFIRM     

Health & Safety Information on Household Hazardous Products:

What's under your kitchen sink, in your garage, in your bathroom, and on the shelves in your laundry room? Do these household products pose a potential health risk to you and your family?

Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home:
http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadpdfe.pdf

Here's what we do with hazardous waste we collect from Okaloosa County households.

Car Batteries:

Used batteries are sold to a battery warehouse where both lead and plastic batteries are reclaimed.

Rechargeable Batteries:

We can help you recycle your portable rechargeable batteries as part of the Okaloosa County's hazardous waste program. These batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. RBRC recycles the following battery chemistries: Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd), Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), Lithium Ion (Li-ion) and Small Sealed Lead* (Pb). For more information on battery recycling log-on to www.rbrc.org.

Computer Components:

Computer equipment, particularly, old monitors have been declared a hazardous waste by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. For link to EPA's "Plug-In To eCycling" Click Here.

Mobile Phone Recycling:

Mobile phones are recycled along with electronics or through a mobile phone recycling company.

Fluorescent Tubes:

Fluorecents tubes and other mercury containing devices are accepted in an effort to minimize mercury contamination to the environment. These materials are recycled and or reclaimed through state of the art technology. For more information log onto the following website, http://www.informinc.org/fact_P3fluorescentlamps.php.

Latex Paint:

Latex paint is given away or disposed of through solidification and landfilled.

Oil Based Paint:

This type of paint is a little more complex and needs some special handling. It is poured into 55 gallon drums and sent to a company that blends the flammable oil-based paint with other liquid fuels. Then it is disposed of by burning in specially designed boilers.

Pool Chemicals and Pesticides:

Again we take special precautions with these chemicals. We pack them in 55 gallon drums in their original containers and fill the air spaces with styrofoam balls. These "lab-paks" are sent to special hazardous waste incinerators for disposal. Many of the chemicals are given away. Certain acids/bases are neutralized on site and sent to the county's Water and Sewer Treatment Plant.

Used Oil, Fuel and Antifreeze:

Old oil, gas and diesel is also burned as a secondary fuel in specially designed boilers. Old antifreeze is neutralized through a special process and sent to a wastewater treatment facility.