Light Up Shoes Illegal in Garbage & Drains Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off is available twice a month by appointment only on Saturdays for household hazardous waste and/or universal waste. Acceptable items include over-the-counter and prescription medications, fluorescent light tubes, motor oil and used motor oil, antifreeze, paint, chemicals (pool and others), household cleaners, and pesticides. The majority of medications are accepted as household hazardous waste excluding controlled substances. Some items can be dropped off at the HHW Facility without an appointment and during hours of operation. These items include: sharps waste (syringes or lancets) properly packaged for safe disposal, (used) motor oil, filters and antifreeze. Proof of residency is required. To make an appointment to drop off your household hazardous waste on the next available Saturday at the Waste Management HHW Facility at 2880 Industry Street, please call Waste Management’s Customer Service line at (760) 439-2824. HHW must be dropped off by appointment – click for more info. Contains Mercury Light-up shoes may contain mercury so they should never be thrown in the garbage. This is particularly true for light-up shoes made prior to 1997, which should be disposed of as hazardous waste. Newer Shoes Are E-Waste In newer light-up shoes, manufacturers use LED lights and electrical switches. First remove the button battery, then dispose of the shoes as e-waste. Ways to Reduce Take Care of Light Up Shoes Taking proper care of light up shoes will help them last. Avoid puddles and wet weather, and keep them out of extreme heat as well. Troubleshoot Light Issues Instead of getting rid of light up shoes that aren’t working, try a couple of easy fixes first. Look up any tips or instructions from the manufacturer, and check out these tips to fix light up shoes as well. Tired of Lights? Turn Them Off Many light up shoes can be turned off. If they have a removable battery, just remove the battery to turn the lights off. Otherwise, look up instructions from the manufacturer. Did You Know? Mercury Bans Likely Don’t Affect Your Child’s Light Up Shoes These days more people know about the dangers of mercury exposure, and recent legislation has helped cut back on the use of mercury in society. Yet, light up shoe manufacturers can still use button batteries which are known to contain mercury.
