All hazardous waste must be brought to our HHW collections in 5-gallon containers or smaller. Please contact the District at 326-0014 with any questions or concerns about this program change.

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This program is for residents only, not businesses.

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Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Good "Guys" Wear White Suits
Perhaps you've attended one of our Saturday HHW Mobile Collections and seen, first hand, all those guys and gals walking around in white Tyvek suits. They may look like creatures from another world, but they wear those protective suits to be sure our high safety standards are met and exceeded.
Our HHW Program has grown beyond our wildest dreams. Not only do we collect the ordinary household waste products which can be harmful to our environment, we've added collections for Sharps and non-controlled substance medications.
We focus on getting residents in and out of these collections within 10 minutes. However, sometimes lines can grow and folks get impatient because they have to wait. While this is understandable, this FREE program is a necessity to our community and well worth a bit of waiting time. To hurry through a collection could lead to mistakes, and we are ever mindful of how dangerous those mistakes could be to all concerned.
We have become one of the largest mercury collection sites (for homes) in the state, and we are proud of our statistics in this department. Mercury is dangerous; it's not something to be handled carelessly.

 

Sharps Program

Our SHARPS program provides a safe and convenient way to rid your home of insulin/injectables needles/syringes. In the past, these items ended up in the garbage where the possibility of an unsuspecting trash hauler or a child getting stuck could occur.
You may bring these dangerous items to one of our Household Hazardous Waste collections on specific dates scheduled each year. The Sharps MUST be contained in a sealed metal or hard plastic container, such as a coffee can or a detergent bottle with a screw-on lid (no milk jugs).
We all remember the old days when we were told to flush outdated medications down the drain or toilet, right? Oh so wrong!! Some medications, especially in areas were there are wells and septic systems, can leach and pollute drinking water. Anyone with an allergy could become ill by ingesting water contaminated with medications meant to heal. Even in septic systems, antibiotics can kill the natural enzymes necessary to kill the very bacteria which breaks down waste.
Bring your old meds, in their bottles, to our collections. SHARPS and Meds are collected by someone trained to handle them; they are disposed of in a safe and environmentally friendly way. Sorry, we can't accept controlled medications.
HHW Collections are held once per month in LaPorte County, May through October, though the locations of the Mobile unit change for this event. Please remember, we DO NOT accept latex paint.

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 Mobile Collection Program

What Can I Dispose Of?
    •    Amunition, flares and fireworks
    •    Aerosols
    •    Automotive Supplies
         ◦    Antifreeze
         ◦    Oils and other fluids
    •    Batteries
         ◦    Automotive
         ◦    Household
    •    Corrosives
    •    Expired Medications
    •    Mercury Containing Products
         ◦    Fluorescent Tubes
         ◦    Thermometers - silver bulbs
         ◦    Thermostats
         ◦    Other mercury containing items
    •    Outdated Medications (No controlled meds)
    •    Paint And Related Products
         ◦    Oil based paint - bring oil based paint to the mobile collections; remove lid from latex paint cans, allow to dry completely, and dispose of with your regular garbage.
         ◦    Thinners
         ◦    Solvents
    •    Sharps
    •    Pesticides
         ◦    Fungicides
         ◦    Herbicides
         ◦    Insecticides
         ◦    Other Poisons
    •    Waste Fuels
         ◦    Diesel
         ◦    Gasoline
         ◦    Kerosene
         ◦    Other Flammable Liquids
What Is Not Accepted? 
    •    Explosives
         ◦    Contact your local fire department for disposal
    •    Commercial Hazardous Waste
         ◦    Contact our office at (219) 326-0014 for more information.
    •    Medical Waste
    •    Radio-active Materials

 

 

Recycle & Reuse

Many people use needles and syringes as part of their medical Care at home. Proper disposal is an important safety issue not only for the user, but also for employees who work with the disposal of sharps. The La Porte County Solid Waste District previously supplied containers for disposal of sharps, but these containers are a very costly part of the program. We no longer provide containers, but you may visit our office to pick up labels to put on your own recycled container. Please use a metal container or hard plastic bottle that is leak proof, shatter proof and puncture proof (such as a detergent bottle), screw the lid on when full and take to our next Household Hazardous Waste collection for proper disposal. NEVER PUT SHARPS IN YOUR RECYCLE BIN.

Some of these events include collection of other items for recycling, including tires, appliances, and electronics as well as confidential document shredding. View more information.

 

Drop it & Lock it

We can accept non-controlled medications only. Please reference Drug Free La Porte County for futher disposal options.

 

 

Latex Paint Disposal

We cannot accept latex paint for collection. Please reference latex information page for futher disposal options.

 

Safe & Convenient

Open to La Porte County residents, our free hazardous waste collections provide a safe and convenient way for residents to dispose of dangerous chemicals and Sharps (injection needles/syringes). Not only do these collections keep pollution out of our environment and drinking water, they also protect waste industry workers from injury on the job.

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