Facility History & Accomplishments
Many consumer products contain chemicals that if improperly used, stored, or disposed of, may be hazardous to human health or the environment. Chemicals in these products become hazardous waste when they are no longer wanted or needed as household products and are not disposed of properly.
In 2002, Midwest City, along with the Central Oklahoma Metropolitan Environmental Association (COMEA), cooperatively established Oklahoma’s first permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility. In 2007, COMEA was dissolved and Midwest City took over the operations related to Household Hazardous Waste Disposal. Midwest City residents use the facility for free. Other communities interested in using Midwest City’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility must have signed an agreement with Midwest City.
Residents may also visit the Hazardous Waste facility to look at our items currently available for reuse. The reuse shop contains items brought in for recycling or disposal that are still in good working condition.
In 2023, the Midwest City Household Hazardous Waste Facility was nominated for and awarded a Keep Oklahoma Beautiful Government Programs award for its accomplishments in waste disposal, diversion, and recycling. Below is some of the text from the nomination.
"The primary goal of a hazardous waste disposal program is to divert hazardous materials from landfills and waterbodies to prevent them from negatively affecting human health and the environment. Without a proper program for disposal, these common yet hazardous household items could end up in trash bins, in the natural environment, or collecting in a household for decades. The Midwest City Household Hazardous Waste Facility provides that proper means of disposal for Midwest City and surrounding cities’ residents. We take in items including but not limited to paints, stains, motor vehicle fluids, lawn care chemicals, pool chemicals, household cleaners, batteries, light bulbs, and electronics. We also offer scrap metal, appliance, and tire recycling.
The HHW Facility provides a reuse program as well, for residents of any city to utilize the items that are still in good condition. This program is free-of-charge, providing a cost-effective and less wasteful system of recycling.
Since 2007, Midwest City has operated the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, providing a free-of-charge disposal service to residents. During the FY22-23, ten other communities had signed an agreement with Midwest City for their own respective residents to use the facility. Therefore, not only is the impact felt just for Midwest City residents or adjacent communities, but across the Central Oklahoma/Oklahoma County as well. The program has been running strong and steady for at least sixteen years, and has only grown with participation and weight of items disposed."
