Jackson County Recycling: Encouraging Sustainability Through Recycling
The Jackson County Conservation District held two Household Hazardous Waste collections in 2021.
125 Jackson County Residents took advantage of this opportunity and we helped dispose of 17,005 pounds of hazardous waste from Jackson County homes!
Materials that participants were able to dispose of at these events included oil-based paint, caustic household cleaners, motor oil, automotive and household batteries, expired medicine, herbicides and pesticides, and much more.
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Thank you to the Jackson County DOT, Emmons Service Inc., and the Consumers Energy Foundation for helping make these collections happen.
Household Hazardous Waste: A constant problem
When we see the word 'hazardous', it probably conjures up images of people in white suits called in to detoxify a dangerous location. When called household hazardous waste (HHW), it's not that scary of an image, but some HHW items deserve special handling for disposal. To be classified as household hazardous waste, an item must be either corrosive, flammable, reactive, or toxic if thrown into a regular landfill. Falling into one or more of these categories are cleaners such as bleach, oil-based paints, aerosol spray cans, paint thinner, batteries, and much more. It's important to dispose of these items properly to reduce the likelihood of environmental contamination.
​Our 2022 collection details can be found here. If you have questions, please call our office at 517-395-2082.
What about pesticides?
Pesticides are considered hazardous waste, and unfortunately Jackson does not have a program for disposing of them. However, through the efforts of the Clean Sweep program, a free service offered by the Michigan Dept of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), both Ingham and Washtenaw Counties have locations that accept EPA-approved pesticides.
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Washtenaw County: 705 N. Zeeb Rd, Ann Arbor
Hours: The first three Saturdays of the month from 9-12 April-November (excluding holiday
weekends, and during the week by appointment.
Contact: Jon Tulman, 734-222-3810
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Ingham County: 5303 South Cedar St, Lansing
Hours: May-September every Tuesday and Thursday from 2-6. No appointment needed,
unless you have more than a car-trunk-full of pesticides. If you have more than
that, please call the department.
Contact: Michael Allen, 517-887-4312