Safe recycling to minimize disposal is one of the best ways that a community has to decrease pollution and maintain a healthy, living environment. The doctors of Family care Network urge you to do your part in this effort! The following resources are available to us in Whatcom County, so that we can recycle almost anything!
Toxic substances are never safe to throw in the trash. They can can cause damage to human, animal and plant life, should be taken to the Whatcom County Disposal of Toxics site, 3505 Airport Drive, in Bellingham. Accepted items include used oil products, oil-based paints, fluorescent light bulbs, cleaning agents, lawn and garden chemicals and mercury thermometers.
Asbestos is a hazardous substance present in many buildings that get demolished or remodeled. Breathing in asbestos dust has been associated with the development of a certain type of lung cancer, and its removal is regulated. Call the Northwest Clean Air Agency, at (360) 428-1617 or (800) 622-4627, or go to www.nwair.org, for complete safety information before disturbing anything with asbestos. Have it checked by a professional if you are not sure.
Reuse is always the highest form of recycling. The RE Store appreciates receiving used building materials of all sorts that can be used again. Store manager Nate Moore reports that "Just about anything that you could find at Lowe's or Hardware Sales, we have a used version of it", according to an article in the August 25th, 2005 Bellingham Herald. The store doesn't accept treated lumber, oil-based paint or broken appliances. They do take latex paint, which is resold at a bargain. Whatever the size of the can, they ask only that it's at least half full. If it's not enough to save, don't throw latex paint in the garbage, since it is likely to spill. First, mix it with cat-box filler, dirt or sawdust and allow it to dry, before disposal.
Recycling & Disposal Services Inc., 4916 La Bounty Drive, will take just about anything that's not toxic, according to general manager Jim Sands. From construction debris, RDS sorts recyclables including wood, wallboard and metal and sends them to the appropriate recycling businesses. Metal goes to Z Recyclers near Lynden or Northwest Recycling Inc. in Bellingham. Used refrigerators can be recycled here as well. RDS will take it for $35. The fee covers the cost of removing the toxic refrigerant and oil and disposing of it properly.
County Construction Recyclers, 1960 E. Hemmi Road, takes all types of construction and demolition waste, including wood, roofing material, insulation, bricks, asphalt and concrete. Once the building is empty, CCR takes the whole rest of the house. Both CCR and RDS grind up wood and send it to a company that burns it and uses the energy to turn turbines that generate electricity.
For large construction jobs, T & T Recovery Inc. will place a box on a construction or demolition site that can be filled with separated recyclables, including land-clearing debris, clean lumber, roofing materials, concrete and sheetrock. Collection boxes range in size from 15 to 40 cubic yards. Construction debris also can be taken to the business at 6967 Old Highway 99 North.