THESE DAYS -- IT'S NOT AS EASY TO DISPOSE OF TOXIC MATERIALS LIKE PAINT AND MOTOR OIL.
TERRI CALDERON OF SAN ANGELO'S SAFE RECYCLING CENTER HAS SOME ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAYS TO GET RID OF UNWANTED CHEMICALS.
HERE'S MORE IN CONCHO VALLEY GREEN.

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Terri Calderon -- If someone calls me and says, "I have paint. Can I bring it to you?" I would say, "No."

SAFE RECYCLING CENTER DIRECTOR TERRI CALDERON SAYS IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVER CHEMICAL PRODUCTS, TRY TO FIND SOMEONE WHO MIGHT HAVE A USE FOR THEM. OTHERWISE, SHE SAYS, HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE IT LEGAL, AND SAFE FOR DISPOSAL IN THE LANDFILL.

Terri -- This I have is polyurethane, and this happens to be about half a can.

Terri -- I'm going to take kitty litter. It doesn't have to be the expensive one. It doesn't have to be clumping or non-clumping. It's an absorbent.

YOU CAN ALSO USE DRY CEMENT POWDER, OR IN SOME CASES SAWDUST.

Terri -- And you can see it's getting thicker, and what's happening is that the kitty litter is beginning to absorb any of the moisture and the toxins in there. The longer it sits the thicker it will get.
Once you've done that it's a solid and you can dispose of it into your trash can, but you have to leave the lid off. If you leave the lid on they're going to look at it and say, "Oh this doesn't belong here," and set it back right next to your can. But if you leave the lid off they'll see it has been treated.

THE SAME PROCESS WORKS WITH MOTOR OIL, OR ANY OIL BASED PRODUCT. FILL A CONTAINER HALF FULL OF THE PRODUCT YOU'RE GETTING RID OF, AND THE REST OF THE WAY WITH KITTY LITTER, AND STIR THEM TOGETHER. SHE SAYS THIS PROCESS ALLOWS THESE PRODUCTS TO BE THROWN AWAY, AND IN THIS SOLID FORM THEY WON'T SEEP INTO THE GROUND AND INTO OUR GROUNDWATER.
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