TULSA, Okla. — It's common for most people — partially used household cleaners or paint sitting around their homes.
It can't be tossed in the trash because of the chemicals, but it's no longer need— so what do they do?
Turns out the Tulsa Household Pollutant Collection Facility is a place to drop off unwanted chemicals, paints, and other household chemical waste.
The facility allows free drop-offs of up to 45 pounds of materials, with a charge for additional weight.
Tammy Pitts, said, "I brought in old oil from our lawnmowers and weed eaters, as well as some old bleach. I wasn’t sure if bleach goes bad, but I wasn’t willing to try it."
After a spring cleaning of her cupboards and garage she also brought, "like some deck cleaner that we've had for years and like some Thompson's water seal and so just those things they get gross over time and they condense and so just wanted to safely dispose of that so there are a lot of different things um we even had an old fire extinguisher that was out of date, no good anymore."
2 News Oklahoma's Cathy Tatom visited the site and learned another way they re-use some of those dropped off chemicals.
Skyler Robson from the City of Tulsa listed some of the everyday items people bring in:
In addition to drop-off, People can pick up items for free at the swap shop, featuring garden supplies and other useful materials.
2 News talked to shoppers as they picked up things like motor oil, cleaner, and brake fluid.
"Our swap shop, it's completely free to anyone coming in." Robson stressed, "You don't have to even be dropping off anything, so, um, completely free. You can find all sorts of things in there, um, household cleaners, uh, those, those are always expensive. They've been increasing in price lately. And um we've got paint in there, spray paint's another big one chemicals such as uh fertilizers and herbicides, pesticides."
The items available are constantly changing. It depends on what people drop off that is still usable.
The facility is open to all Tulsa residents and people living in surrounding communities.
WHERE: 4502 S. Galveston Ave in Tulsa,
WHEN: Wednesday and Saturday from 8am to 11:30 a.m. and Noon to 4:30 p.m.
Robson said the last two Saturdays in March saw a significant spike in drop offs, which he believes shows the community is helping keep potentially dangerous household chemicals out of landfills and storm drains.
If you have questions about what to bring in or want to know if the Swap Shop might have something you need you can call 918-591-4325 or email stormwaterquality@cftulsa.org and visit their website.
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