Products for the lawn and garden, automotive lubricants, house cleaners, paints and solvents are found in most homes. Many of these items have hazardous characteristics such as being toxic, ignitable, reactive or corrosive.

Improper disposal of these and other household hazardous products can pose a threat to health and contaminate land, air and water supplies.

Where to get help for your community?
LCRA's Household Hazardous Waste Technical Assistance Program helps communities plan sustainable household hazardous waste (HHW) programs tailored to their communities’ needs and capabilities.

This program provides assistance to local governments and communities throughout the LCRA service area. It helps them meet the growing demand for collection opportunities. The HHW program is now part of LCRA’s Community and Economic Development team. It combines resources and expertise to assist communities with HHW program planning through a focused program or comprehensive planning process.

A five-point planning process will provide a thorough evaluation of community resources and needs, resulting in a program recommendation and implementation plan tailored to the community or region served. As demand for collection opportunities grows and as service costs increase, this planning process is a valuable tool.

Five-point planning process

1. Community assessment
2. HHW strategic plan development
3. Community action/implementation
4. Development of operations manual
5. Program evaluation/follow up

The LCRA HHW technical assistance covers a range of topic areas to include:

• Overview of household hazardous waste programs
• Implementation and planning timeline
• Collection event/program operations and coordination
• Public awareness, elementary education and community sponsorship
• Event/program budgeting
• Required personnel and training
• Applicable state and federal regulations
• Coordinating with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
• Competitive bid purchasing and contracting with a hazardous waste contractor and other HHW program vendors
• Grant funding and proposal development

The HHW program is an important part of LCRA’s community service and natural resource protection initiatives.

A cooperative effort
LCRA's household hazardous waste program was developed in cooperation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which sponsors a statewide Household Hazardous Waste Management Program and the statewide Agricultural Waste Pesticide Collection Program. LCRA also coordinates with Councils of Government in the LCRA service area to help communities find important information and grant funding resources available to them.

Where to recycle or dispose HHW items?
To find a center to recycle or properly dispose of HHW items in or near your community, look on the TCEQ Web site or go to www.Earth 911.org.

Contact LCRA
If you want to know more about LCRA’s HHW Technical Assistance Program or are looking for information about HHW programs in our area, contact Jack Ranney or Lori LeBlue at 1-800-776-5272 or by e-mail at ecodev@lcra.org.

Organize your own community collection: Use the HHW trailer
An initiative to serve communities in Central Texas involves the HHW equipment and supply trailer. LCRA has an equipment and supply trailer that communities in the CAPCOG region can use to help start a HHW collection program. See news release.