This spring, tackle cleaning out that junk drawer full of electronics or the garage with leftover paint and old lightbulbs.
Next month marks the return of Arlington County’s Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE). On Saturday, March 23, residents can safely dispose of old electronics and household hazardous materials.
This biannual event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie Street). There will be several collection areas where Arlington residents can drop off their unwanted items.
Residents are asked to bring proof of Arlington residency and to pack their vehicles in reverse order, with electronics going in first and hazardous materials afterward.
Below is a list of items that will be accepted and not accepted, per the county website.
- Automotive fluids
- Batteries
- Care care products
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs
- Corrosives (acids/caustics)
- Fire extinguishers
- Flammable solvents
- Fluorescent tubes
- Fuels/petroleum products
- Household cleaners
- Lawn and garden chemicals
- Mercury
- Paint products (25-can limit)
- Photographic chemicals
- Poisons
- Printer ink/toner cartridges
- Propane gas cylinders (small hand-held or larger)
- Swimming pool chemicals
Items containing mercury, such as thermostats and thermometers, will also be collected.
Metal items, bicycle donations and business and commercial waste will not be accepted, along with these items:
- Asbestos
- Explosives and ammunition
- Freon
- Medical wastes
- Prescription medications
- Radioactive materials
- Smoke detectors
Residential trash, recycling and yard waste customers can request request free curbside removal of computers, keyboards, copiers, scanners, printers, cell phones and televisions online or by calling 703-228-5000. There is a small fee for picking up for older cathode ray TVs and computer monitors, the county website says.
Arlington County residents and employees who miss the event can drop off their hazardous household materials year-round at a recycling center at 530 31st Street S., near Crystal City.
Scrap metal, appliances and electronics can be dropped off at the Earth Products Yard in Shirlington at 4300 29th Street S. or scheduled for pickup for a fee. Inert material such as cement can also be taken to the Shirlington facility.
Unsure of where to dispose of something? Look up specific disposal instructions using this county tool.
Photos via Dept. of Environmental Services/Flickr