The Chelan County Moderate Risk Waste Facility continues to see growth in the amount of household hazardous waste it is safely disposing of or recycling. In 2024, the facility squeaked out a new record, taking in 76.4 tons of household hazardous waste. In 2023, the facility took in more than 74.3 tons. The facility welcomed 2,190 visitors last year, for an average of 70 pounds of waste dropped off per household.
Opened in December 2019, the 5,000-square-foot facility was built with a mix of state, county and city monies. The year-round facility serves as a drop-off location for citizens with household hazardous wastes such as latex and oil-based paints, antifreeze, gas, common cleaners, lawn and garden pesticides, motor oil and paint thinners and spray paints. The waste is packaged for shipment at the facility, and a contractor hauls the material away for safe recycling or disposal.
Annual tracking shows that latex paint, which the facility started collecting in 2022 when it joined Washington鈥檚 statewide paint recycling program, is by far the most popular waste dropped off at the facility, with 54,494 pounds collected last year. Much of the material brought into the facility is flammable or toxic, including:
- 27,000 pounds of used oil
- 12,297 pounds of oil-based paints
- 9,849 pounds of toxic flammable liquids (liquid pesticides, automotive fluids, linseed oil)
- 9,257 pounds of paint-related flammable liquids (paint thinners, for example)
- 8,800 pounds of flammable liquids (gas, diesel and kerosene)
- 8,330 pounds of antifreeze
The majority of the material collected is recycled, as opposed to being used as an energy resource or incinerated. In 2024, 69 percent of the material was recycled, compared to 38 percent in 2020. Last year, 22 percent was used as an energy resource and only 5 percent was incinerated.
About 4 percent of the material dropped off is only partially used and in good, clean condition. It is placed on a free reuse cart. People are encouraged to take a look through the cart, which includes everything from spray paint to motor oil to household pesticides, and take something home to use.