[FARC] Recycle Your Gel Cell Batteries - Saturday 5/12/07

[Bob Moroney]

In case you didn't see it in the paper or elsewhere, Frederick County is 
holding their periodic Residential Household Hazardous Waste Dropoff at 
the Public Safety Training Facility at 8349 Reichs Ford Rd.  This is 
supposed to be for Frederick County residents only.

Times are from 8:00 am to Noon, tomorrow, Saturday 5/12/07.  (Sorry for 
the short notice.)

If, like me, you've accumulated a bunch of gel-cell, ni-cad, NiMH, 
alkaline and other SEALED cells that have gone over the hill, here's an 
opportunity to recycle them responsibly.

Note that only FULLY SEALED cells and batteries will be accepted at this 
event.

FYI, If you also have standard wet-cell batteries like auto or marine 
deep discharge  batteries that have passed on to the Big Anode in the 
Sky (this includes those "maintenance free" ones that only look like 
they're sealed), you can drop them off at the Reichs Ford recycling 
center, down the road a bit, near the landfill, pretty much anytime 
they're open, free of charge.  (I don't understand why, but for some 
reason this place doesn't seem to want the sealed kind.)

If you haven't been there before, this place will also take any used 
motor oil, antifreeze and/or brake fluid that you may have festering in 
your garage, basement or shed.

Other things that they'll take off your hands tomorrow, according to the 
paper:

. Fuels (gasoline & kerosene)
. Thinners & solvents
. Pesticides, insecticides, fungicides 
. Household cleaners
. Pool chemicals
. Photo chemicals
. Stains & sealants
. Mothballs

I called, and they said that they'll also accept fluorescent tubes/bulbs 
at tomorrow's dropoff session.  (They told me that the EPA doesn't 
require household users to dispose of these in other than "normal 
trash", but our F.C. Solid Waste folks would prefer that you drop them 
off tomorrow.)

73, Bob K9CMR