Waste Disposal

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

General Information

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is made of any leftover and unwanted household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients. These products commonly have warning labels with signal words such as: "DANGEROUS" or "POISON." HHW includes, but is not limited to: gasoline, paints, cleaning products, oils, batteries, pesticides, repellents, antifreeze, wood stains, etc.

Disposing of HHW

You should not dispose of HHW in your trash or pour chemicals down the drain. HHW can pose a threat to sanitarian workers at the landfills and can contaminate the environment if not disposed of properly. Drop off your HHW to one of the following locations:

• Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District (1997 East 3500 North, Layton) offers a permanent HHW Drop-Off Facility (located through the landfill entrance and to the left, before the scales). This service is offered free of charge to residents of Davis and Morgan Counties (with the exception of Bountiful City). Proof of residence is required at the site.

• Many of the cities in Davis County offer HHW Collection Events to encourage their residents to properly dispose of these items. HHW can be dropped off free of charge at these events. Contact your city offices to find out when their next HHW Collection Event will be hosted.

• Often, products such as rechargeable batteries and light bulbs can be recycled at local businesses free of charge. Refer to the Davis County Recycling webpage for more details.

Disposing of Business Hazardous Waste

Businesses that generate hazardous waste must pay to dispose of their waste at a facility that accepts commercial waste. You can find out more information regarding this via the Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District website. 

Tips for Reducing HHW

The principles of reduction, re-use, and recycling are important in the safe management of HHW.

Reduce

You may consider reducing the amount of product you purchase with hazardous ingredients and replacing them with non-hazardous products.

Reuse

Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District maintains a waste reuse shed for HHW dropped off that has not been used or is still usable. These items can be taken by customers to use free of charge. The reuse shed is located next to the HHW drop-off site at the landfill and is open for residents to enter and take what they need at any time during open hours. This helps to reduce the amount of HHW that has to be disposed of. For example, if someone were to drop off some unwanted paint that could still be used, the employees would place the paint can in the shed and another person looking for a can of paint for a project could come in and take that can of paint free of charge. 

Recycle 

When you drop off your items at a HHW disposal facility, items that can be recycled (electronic waste, used oil, batteries, and antifreeze) are recycled by the facility. Any other HHW is properly disposed of by the facility.

Related Links: EPA: Waste and Recycling, Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District Homepage 

Medication Disposal

You can properly dispose of old medications at permanent community collection sites, local pharmacy programs, household hazardous waste collection events, and city or county prescription drug “Take Back” events. For more information on “Take Back” events, contact staff at the Community Health Services Division at 801-525-5070.

Davis County Drop Off Locations Dispose of Unused MedicinesSafe Needle (Sharps) DisposalMedication Guides

Solid & Infectious Waste

Solid Waste

Before taking waste to the landfill, first determine whether it can be reduced, recycled or reused. If items cannot be reused or recycled, waste may be discarded in the waste stream (i.e. garbage cans and dumpsters).   

Davis County has two main landfills that serve its citizens: Wasatch Integrated and the Bountiful City Landfill. Both of these landfills will accept a wide variety of waste types, including green waste, commercial waste, animal wastes, and appliances, and mobile homes. Wasatch Integrated also offers a household hazardous waste facility.

Infectious Waste 

Infectious waste is waste capable of producing an infectious disease if someone was to come into direct contact with it. This includes medical lab waste, waste with animal and human body parts or fluids, and used sharps. Sharps are a medical term used to describe anything with sharp points or edges that could puncture skin.  This includes things such needles, syringes, lancets, auto injectors, and infusion sets.

Regulated Infectious Waste

Whether infectious waste is regulated depends on how much is generated, transported, or treated. The Davis County Board of Health has adopted an Infectious Waste Regulation, which only applies to facilities that generate more than 200lbs of infectious waste per month or hauls or treats more than 200lbs per month. This generally applies to medical and dental offices, hospitals, long-term care facilities, surgery centers, laboratories, veterinary clinics, and pet shops.

If a business generates more than 200lbs of infectious waste each month, it must be compliant with Utah Rule R31316-2(1), which requires that every owner and operator of a health facility or a transporter of infectious waste regulated by Rule R315-316 that generates, transports, stores, treats or disposes of infectious waste must prepare and maintain on file a management plan for the waste that identifies the:

• type and estimated quantity of waste generated or handled;
• segregation, packing, and labeling procedures;
• collection, storage, and transportation procedures
• treatment or disposal methods that will be used; and
• the person responsible for the management of the infectious waste.

For further information, please contact Utah DEQ at 801-536-0200.

Transportation of Infectious Waste

All vehicles that collect or transport infectious waste within Davis County are required to be permitted by the health department with a Waste Hauler Permit. The only exception to this is for infectious waste-generating businesses who transport less than 30lbs of infectious waste that originated at their place of business. In this case, the vehicle must be inspected by the health department annually and the owner must pay an inspection fee, which is 50% of the permit fee.

Treatment of Infectious Waste

An operating permit must be acquired from the health department after facility plans and treatment methods have been reviewed.

Household or Small Quantity Infectious Waste

Though most households and businesses won’t generate enough infectious waste to be under regulation, all infectious waste should still be handled and disposed of properly.

Disposal of Household Infectious Waste

Except for sharps (see below), isolate material that has come in contact with body fluids in a plastic bag or a leak resistant rigid container. The containers of infectious waste may be placed in the regular household trash for curbside collection. Liquid and semisolid infectious waste may be washed down the household drains into the sewer using plenty of water.

Disposal of Used Needles and Other Household Sharps

Isolate sharps in leak-proof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers such as a plastic soft drink bottle, a plastic milk bottle, or a sharps container commercially available. When the container is full, the lid should be tightly secured and taped on. The sharps container may then be placed in the regular household trash for curbside collection.

Improper management of discarded needles and other sharps can pose a health risk to the public and waste workers. For example, discarded needles may expose waste workers to potential needle stick injuries and potential infection when containers break open inside garbage trucks or needles are mistakenly sent to recycling facilities. Janitors and housekeepers also risk injury if loose sharps poke through plastic garbage bags. Used needles can transmit serious diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis.

Related Links: Board of Health Waste Hauler Regulation

Exposures to elemental mercury typically occur when it is spilled or if a product containing mercury breaks and mercury is released into the air. Exposure can also come from the release of mercury from dental work or medical treatments.

You can reduce your risk of exposure to elemental mercury by carefully handling and disposing of products that contain mercury such as old thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs. NEVER vacuum up spilled mercury. Vacuuming spilled mercury can cause it to vaporize into the air, creating a greater exposure. If a large amount of mercury has been spilled, contact the health department or an environmental cleanup company.

Health Effects from Mercury Exposure

High mercury levels can harm the brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, and the immune systems of people of all ages. However, the effects of mercury can be severe, subtle, or not appear at all. This all depends on the form of mercury exposure, how much mercury  you are exposed to, how long you were exposed to it, the route of exposure (breathing, eating, etc.), and the age and health of the person exposed. Fetuses, infants, and children are most susceptible to effects from mercury exposure due to their developing bodies. Pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant should avoid eating fish with high amounts of methylmercury.

If you believe you have had a high exposure to mercury, you should consult your physician, who may order a blood test to determine the level of mercury in the body.

Disposing of Mercury-containing Products

Wasatch Integrated Household Hazardous Waste Facility (HHW) can accept mercury in household quantities (e.g., glass mercury thermometers). Fluorescent tubes are not accepted for recycling at the HHW. The HHW service is offered to residential households within Davis and Morgan counties, with the exception of Bountiful City who operates their own solid waste disposal system. Proof of residency must be shown in order to drop off mercury, e-waste, or other household hazardous waste. Please visit Wasatch Integrated's website for a list of items accepted at the HHW or call (801) 614-5600 for more information. 

The Home Depot and Lowes will take and safely dispose of any expired, unbroken, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

Related Links: CDC: Mercury, EPA: Mercury, FDA: Advice about Eating Fish, Natural Resources Defense Council: The Smart Seafood Buying Guide