~ Got a sinking feeling that your boat might harbor hazards? ~
By: Robert S Weinroth
When exploring South Florida’s beautiful natural environments, be watchful of what you leave in your wake. Items such as:
- flares,
- fire extinguishers,
- deep cycle batteries,
- mercury float switches,
- fuels and oils,
- cleaning products and
- even boats themselves
all need to be disposed of properly.
Fortunately, proper disposal of many harmful boating products is easy and free for Palm Beach County residents. Just bring these items to any of the SWA’s Home Chemical and Recycling Centers (HCRC) listed below, where they will be recycled or disposed of properly.
The SWA’s locations include (from north county to south county):
- Jupiter – North County Transfer Station
14185 N Military Trail (SWA Rd)
Monday – Friday: 7AM – 5PM
Saturday: 7AM – 3PM
- West Palm Beach – Home Chemical and Recycling Center
6161 N. Jog Road
Monday – Friday: 7AM – 5PM
Saturday: 7AM – 5PM
- Belle Glade – Glades Regional Transfer Station
1701 State Road 15
Monday – Friday: 7:30AM – 4PM
- Royal Palm Beach – West Central Transfer Station
9743 Weisman Way (formerly Process Way)
Monday – Friday: 7AM – 5PM
Saturday: 7AM – 3PM
- Lantana – Central County Transfer Station
1810 Lantana Rd
Monday – Friday: 7AM – 5PM
Saturday: 7AM – Noon
- Delray Beach – West – Southwest County Transfer Station
13400 S. State Road 7
Monday – Friday: 7AM – 5PM
Saturday: 7AM – 3PM
- Delray Beach – East – South County Transfer Station
1901 SW 4th Ave
Monday – Friday: 7AM – 5PM
Saturday: 7AM – 3PM
Commercial interests should call 561.687.1100 for disposal options.
Entire boats can be disposed of in the landfill at 6330 N. Jog Road in West Palm Beach after all of the hazardous materials such as fuel, batteries and flares have been removed by the owner or hauler. The removed materials are accepted at any of the HCRC locations listed above.
Proper disposal of old or expired hazardous boating items can be a real lifesaver.
To ensure the boat is hazard-free, SWA Hazardous Waste staff will inspect boats at the Home Chemical and Recycling Center located at 6161 N. Jog Rd in West Palm Beach Monday through Friday, from 7AM – 5PM. SWA Landfill Operations staff will perform inspections outside of these hours. Built-in fuel tanks must be accessible for inspection, but resident should note that the SWA will not pump fuel from tanks. Disposal rates are based on weight. SWA staff cannot assist with offloading boats, however they do recommend hauling your boats on a trailer to make offloading much easier.
More disposal information for boaters can be found on the SWA website or by calling 561.697.2700 or 866.SWA.INFO (toll-free).