A product is considered hazardous if it has one or more of the following properties:

• Toxic – poisonous or lethal when ingested, touched or inhaled;
• Flammable – ignitable and burns easily;
• Corrosive – eats through materials & living tissue; or
• Reactive – can possibly explode or react with other chemicals.

• Most landfills are not equipped to handle hazardous materials;
• Chemicals thrown in regular trash or recycling can cause fires or explosions, endangering sanitation workers and damaging equipment;
• Oil, gas and other chemicals will cause pollution when dumped down the drain or spilled into the environment; and
• Human, pets, wildlife, and plants can become sick when in contact with these chemicals.

We store hazardous products in drums in these divided sheds build specifically for hazardous materials. Each section safely stores corrosive products, poisons and flammable liquids. A fire suppression system is installed in each container in case a spark or chemical reaction causes a fire. We hold materials until our contractor picks up the material which will then be recycled if possible or safely disposed of in facilities specially designed for hazardous waste.

The SafeChem program is FREE to all Kent County residents as it is paid for by the Kent County Solid Waste Management Ordinance!

If you have a large amount of household hazardous waste–meaning…

• More than 6 moving boxes of hazardous waste
• Or more than 20 gallons of hazardous waste

…to drop-off at one of our SafeChem Locations, please email us (recycle@kentcountymi.gov) or call us (616-295-1121) to ensure that we are prepared with enough staff and equipment to take all of your hazardous waste.

Businesses, schools, and farms cannot dispose of their hazardous waste through Kent County’s Department of Public Works’ SafeChem Program due State of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), formally the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), manifesting and shipping requirements.

Instead, we encourage your organization to seek proper hazardous waste disposal through a commercial or industrial hazardous waste contractor. Below are a few industrial hazardous waste resources for businesses, schools, and farms to utilize:

• SET Environmental 877-437-7455
• Hazardous Waste Haulers Environmental      877-777-6708
• Plummer’s Environmental Services      616-877-3930
• Waste Management      800-963-4776

If you are unable to use up or give away your leftover latex paint, you can click here to follow the instructions for drying it out and disposing of Latex Paint.

If your container is completely empty or contains only minimal residue and cannot be rinsed, please place the container in the trash.

If your container is still partially full or contains significant residue, please stop by the SafeChem location for proper disposal.