Chemical & Hazardous Waste

Pinellas County operates the Household Electronics and Chemical Collections Center (HEC3) located at 2990 110th Avenue North. The HEC3 collects a variety of materials from regularly used household chemicals (sulfuric acid, deck cleaners, etc), old paints, pesticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fertilizers, etc. This is a great resource for those involved with their yearly spring-cleaning activities. Remember it is always wise to get rid of old chemicals before the hurricane season as well. This will reduce the chance of damages should we experience any hurricane or storm activity.Click here for a link to Pinellas County’s mobile collections webpage.For more information regarding the HEC3, visit their website.

The hours of operation for the HEC3 are::

Monday, 6:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday, 6:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Closed on Wednesdays
Thursday, 8 AM - 6 PM
Friday, 6:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Third Saturday of the month, 7 AM - 4 PM

The Center is closed on all observed County holidays
.
Information on disposal of household chemical or electronics waste is available at 727.464.7500

Disposal of electronics and chemicals from businesses will be required to call ahead for payment and drop-off information:

Chemical waste: 813.623.5302

Electronic waste 813.621.2319

Motor Oil Disposal & Recycling

Used oil collection sites are maintained countywide so citizens will not dump automotive fluids onto the ground or down storm drains, which is against our City’s Municipal Ordinance 99-71. Each year, the County’s residents bring more than 25,000 gallons of used oil in clear or translucent gallon-sized containers for safe disposal to the county-operated sites. Click here for more information.

For further information, please call Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste Operations at 464-7500.

Batteries

Under Florida law, it is illegal to discard nickel-cadmium or small sealed lead acid rechargeable batteries or products containing such rechargeable batteries in the trash. The batteries must be recycled or sent to a facility permitted to dispose of those batteries. This prohibition applies to every resident as well as every business, institution, government, industry, commercial, communications or medical facility in the state.

Florida lawmakers passed the prohibition because of growing concern over the effects of the toxic heavy metals cadmium and lead on public health and the environment. Cadmium and lead can enter the environment from several sources including solid waste landfills and municipal waste combustors. Once in the environment both can accumulate in food crops and edible fish as well as appear in drinking water and the air we breathe. In humans and animals, long term exposure to these metals can result in brain, lung and kidney damage and is suspected to cause cancer. Lead exposure is especially harmful to unborn and very young children and can result in premature birth, slow growth and decrease intelligence.

This current ban enhances the existing solid waste disposal ban on vehicular (car, truck, boat) lead-acid batteries in effect since January of 1989. A similar disposal ban on mercuric oxide batteries have been in effect since January of 1994. The Department of Environmental Protection estimates that without this new comprehensive ban on the disposal of rechargeable batteries more than 100 tons of cadmium and 400 tons of lead could be disposed of in the trash each year as a result from Floridians discarding rechargeable batteries.

For ways to recycle rechargeable batteries in Pinellas County,click here.

Interesting Links

Keep Pinellas Beautiful, Inc

SWFWMD – Protect your family and our water resources from household chemicals - PDF

Florida Solid and Hazardous Waste Regulations – Laws and Regulations – Quick Reference

EPA – Solid Waste – Basic Facts

The Consumer Handbook For Reducing Wastes (Great for kids)

EPA – Environmental Fact Sheet – Recycling Grass Clippings - PDF

Reusable News: Newsletters and Bulletins - PDF