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You can spot this box for disposal of any old medication at the Dalton Police Department.

You can spot this box for disposal of any old medication at the Dalton Police Department.

Things we deal with every day like milk jugs, food waste and toilet paper rolls we know how to dispose of.

Every once in a while, though, we end up having to deal with items we rarely come across and it can be confusing determining what we are supposed to do. Sometimes, apps and websites can help us figure it out, and for some things it is best to know what to do with them locally such as old pool chemicals, electronics and prescription bottles.

If you have your own pool you have to maintain, you may end up with leftover old pool cleaner you need to dispose of before you can relax, though.

Pool cleaners are highly corrosive and reactive and if they are disposed of improperly they can cause health issues and even fires.

At 4189 Old Dixie Highway we have our Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Facility open every third Saturday of the month from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The HHW facility is open to residents of Whitfield County and accepts leftover household products such as your old pool cleaner, as well as pesticides, old gasoline, batteries, paints and pool chemicals, to name a few.

Specially trained and certified employees collect the materials from residents. After collection, the materials are recycled, if possible, and if not possible they are disposed of in a licensed hazardous waste incinerator to protect the environment and public health.

While you are doing some cleaning, you may realize you have a pile of old headphones, keyboards and maybe even a monitor or two that has built up over the years.

These items can be safely placed in the landfill as long as they are not rechargeable, but wouldn’t it be great to recycle them? Luckily, we can!

Any electronics can be taken to the Old Dixie Highway and Convenience Center at 4189 Old Dixie Highway to be recycled into new materials. Monitors cost $10 each to be recycled due to their materials that must be handled carefully, but all other electronics can be recycled for free.

When you arrive at the convenience center, the Household Hazardous Waste Facility will be on your left. Loop around to it with your vehicle and you will find a large cardboard box by the front. This is where you will unload any electronics you have. If you are recycling a monitor, flag down one of the attendants at the small attendant office or on their golf cart to pay them the fee for each monitor.

All rechargeable electronics must have the battery removed for proper disposal. Rechargeable batteries may be taken to any convenience center at any time.

If you take a few monthly prescriptions, those bottles can seem to pile up fast. In Whitfield County and Dalton we only accept bottles and jugs where the “shoulders” are wider than the “neck” of the bottle. When we take a look at a prescription bottle, it doesn’t fit those criteria even though it is plastic so, unfortunately, we cannot recycle prescription bottles. You can, however, still have the bottles reused by mailing them to Matthew 25 Ministries. You can check out their requirements and process at https://m25m.org/pillbottles/ And if you need a local disposal option you can landfill any empty bottles.

If your bottle is not empty, you must properly dispose of your medication first. Both the Dalton Police Department, and the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office have a drug disposal box available at their facilities. You can drop off your containers year-round during regular business hours. The one at the sheriff’s office is open at all times for drop-off.

Before you drop off medications, be sure the containers have the original label with the name of the medication.

Using a black marker, you can cover personal information like your name and address. Medications can be current or expired, belong to you, a family member or a deceased individual.

When you have to deal with other items not mentioned that you don’t know what to do with visit dwswa.org for local options or use search.earth911.com to search for local recycling options.

Amy Hartline is the recycling and education program coordinator for the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority. Have a recycling question? Contact her at (706) 278-5001 or ahartline@dwswa.org.

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