By Amy-Lynn Albertson

Rowan County Extension Director

Instead of spring cleaning, it’s time to do some fall purging.

That tube television that is collecting dust in your basement, that old laptop that doesn’t work, appliances that are long dead — what are you doing with them? Don’t forget that iPhone 4 or the expired fire extinguishers.

The 2018 annual Special Waste Recycling Event is next week, Oct. 3. From 8 a.m.-5 p.m. you can bring your unwanted prescription and non-prescription medications, paint, hearing aids, toner cartridges, automotive fluids and so much more.

Take a look under your kitchen sink and get rid of any old household cleaning products. Trust me, you are going to feel so much better once you get all of that “stuff” out of your house, and know that it has been disposed of or recycled properly.

Go out in your garden shed or wherever you store your pesticides and check all your labels. Pesticides like RoundUp, Sevin, etc. can go bad and expire. They lose their efficacy over time. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services offers a Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program to assist the citizens of N.C. Through the program, farmers, gardeners and homeowners can safely dispose of unwanted pesticides.

In 1980, the NCDA&CS led the nation with the Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program that was the first program of its kind. This stewardship program has properly collected and disposed of over 3 million pounds of pesticides from our state.

Pesticide stewardship protects human health and the environment. Collection sites vary from year to year across the 100 counties in N.C. The goal is to provide disposal opportunity to all citizens by alternating locations. Residents can visit neighboring counties to dispose of pesticides.

When property owners remove potentially hazardous materials, they help reduce the risk of accidental poisoning of children, pets and livestock. Improper disposal of pesticides can cause environmental damage. It is possible for pesticides to stop the bacterial action in a septic tank or contaminate a municipal sewage system as well as surface and groundwater. So it is important to dispose of these items safely and properly.

Bring your unwanted pesticides on Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to the Rowan County Recycling and Processing Center located at 1102 N. Long St. Ext., East Spencer. Any labeled pesticide products will be accepted whether insecticide, herbicide, rodenticides or fungicide.

These pesticides are put in a container, weighed and loaded into a transport vehicle. The materials are transported out-of-state for incineration. If you have containers larger than 5 gallons, please contact Caleb Sinclair, Rowan County Environmental Management, at 704-216-8985, and he will make arrangements ahead of time.

This waste recycling event will also be accepting prescription and non-prescription medications, tires (limit five — no rims), fire extinguishers, helium, oxygen and propane tanks, all computer equipment, cell phones, all electronics (anything with a plug), fertilizers, automotive fluids, thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent bulbs, washers, dryers, refrigerators, eyeglasses, hearing aids, toner cartridges and household cleaning products.

For information about recycling or pesticide management, please contact the Rowan County Extension Center at 704-216-8970 or on the web at http://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu.