If Dorothy Adams could collect household hazardous waste every week in Salt Lake City — instead of just the three events held in this summer at Sugar House Park — she is sure she could fill barrels with paint, pesticides, oil and antifreeze.

The city site collected 31,308 pounds of waste through the Salt Lake Valley Health Department's household hazardous waste community event collection program. The waste is either recycled or incinerated by the health department's contractor.

"I'm sure in Salt Lake City they'd love us to be there every Thursday," said Adams, manager of the program. "People want more."

Through this summer's 13 events, the health department collected 81,706 pounds of hazardous household waste. That's the most collected in 16 years.

For the first time, the health department also collected electronic waste at the community events. It gathered about 70,000 pounds of mobile phones, computers and televisions, including newer flat screen ones.

The health department also accepts electronic waste year-round at the county's two public landfills. But the community collection events account for half of what it collects all year.

"People inundate us at the collection events because it's just more convenient than going out to the landfill," Adams said.

But electronic waste collection is at risk of being cut back or disappearing. The health department pays a recycler $100,000 a year to disassemble and process the devices, removing toxic compounds such as lead, mercury and cadmium.

The cost amounts to one-quarter of the entire household hazardous waste budget. Adams said she had to cut advertising and other printing costs for the community events to have enough money to pay to recycle the electronic waste collected.

She watches the budget for e-waste monthly. "If we reach the amount budgeted for that, we have to eliminate that," Adams said.

For now, the household hazardous waste program is funded through a tipping fee at the landfills. Adams and others believe it is more fair for electronics-goods manufacturers to pay the e-waste recycling costs. That's why she supports proposed legislation to do what nearly half of other states do: require manufacturers to pay a fee that funds recycling.

Rep. Rebecca Edwards, R-North Salt Lake, introduced a bill in the 2010 Legislative session that would have generated $100,000 a year.

It passed the House, but time ran out before it was voted on in the Senate. Edwards plans to introduce a similar bill in the 2011 session.

She said residents in states that charge manufacturers recycling fees don't pay a higher price for their computers or televisions. That means, she said, the cost of recycling is already built into the cost of the device. Utah just needs a way to capture that money.

"What ends up happening is consumers in states like Utah ... are covering the cost to recycle computers in California or Oregon," states that charge recycling fees, she said.

hmay@sltrib.com —

Hazardous waste recycling centers

To dispose of electronic waste in Salt Lake County, go to:

Trans-Jordan Landfill, 10873 S. 7200 West

Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility, 1400 S. 6030 West

Both are open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

To dispose of other hazardous wastes, including antifreeze, batteries, oil, paint, fluorescent light tubes, fuels, gasoline, pesticides, transmission fluid and yard care chemicals, go to:

Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility

Trans-Jordan Landfill

The following two centers only accept antifreeze, batteries, oil and paint (or ABOP) Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.:

Murray ABOP Center, 4646 S. 500 West;

Sandy ABOP Center, 8775 S. 700 West.

To get free paint, fertilizers and unused pesticides, go to:

Trans-Jordan Landfill or Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste Facility during normal business hours.