Ahhhh, Spring! Freshness, youth, vitality, a new beginning! The perfect time to undertake those spring cleaning projects. And while you may be thinking of traditional cleaning – beating the carpets, rotating the mattresses, waxing the wooden furniture – it’s a great time to think about cleaning out your garage and attic areas. But it’s important to keep in mind that much of what you’ve accumulated in your garage or attic may not be appropriate for your garbage container.
Anything marked flammable, hazardous, caustic, etc., needs proper disposal to protect people and the environment. Items such as these may be disposed of properly by taking them to the Lee County Solid Waste Annex located at 6441 Topaz Court in Fort Myers (off Metro Parkway between Colonial and Daniels). This facility is open on Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on the first Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. to noon (unless closed for a Lee County holiday, such as Presidents’ Day). Their phone is (239) 533-8000 if you wish to contact them to confirm their hours and availability.
What items are appropriate for the Topaz Court facility?
• Aerosol cans that aren’t empty (if empty, place in your recycle bin) • Ammunition and fireworks • Auto/Boat/Motorcycle lead/acid batteries and vehicle fluids such as oil or gasoline • Batteries including alkaline batteries AA, AAA, C, D, 9-volt, button batteries for watches and hearing aids, nickel- cadmium and lithium-ion batteries found in cordless phones, rechargeable batteries like those in cordless drills • Cleaners and solvents (such as ammonia, bleach, oven cleaner, etc.) • Electronics – can be separated from garbage and left curbside or taken to Topaz Court • Fluorescent bulb ballast fixture, fluorescent tubes, UV bulbs, compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, and LED bulbs • Lawn and garden chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers • Latex paint (empty or completely dried cans can be disposed of with your regular household garbage) • Other (oil-based, alkyd, epoxy, etc.) paints, stains and paint thinner • Pool and spa maintenance chemicals • Propane tanks • Pesticides • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms (smoke detectors)
At Topaz Court, Solid Waste technicians consolidate the chemicals received into 55-gallon drums and 5-gallon pails for transport via a contracted waste handler to an approved recycling or disposal facility. Approximately 90 percent of the materials brought to the Topaz Court household chemical waste drop off facility are recycled
