Considering the danger hazardous household waste poses to people and the environment, shouldn’t the city make it easier to dispose of it properly?

If Lawrence city officials want to encourage residents to properly dispose of hazardous household waste, they need to make the process more convenient.

Although the city previously opened the hazardous waste facility on a regular monthly schedule on Saturday mornings, the only way residents now can get rid of paint, gasoline, household batteries and other items that shouldn’t go in the trash or down the drain is to call the city and make an appointment to drop them off.

The service is free to Douglas County residents, but how many people are going to go to the trouble of setting up an appointment to dispose of half a can of paint? Such a program may be suitable for businesses that have a larger volume of waste to discard, but the current system may not be convenient enough to attract most homeowners.

Rather than taking the trouble to call the city, make an appointment and show up at the requisite time, many residents probably will either allow hazardous items to stack up in their homes or will dispose of them improperly. At home, they pose a risk to family members. In the trash, they pose a danger to trash collectors. If they are put into the sewer system or dumped on the ground, they are a hazard to the environment.

The city has a long list of hazardous items it will dispose of, including pesticides, paints, motor oil, household cleaners, swimming pool chemicals and batteries. It seems that the potential hazards of leaving such materials lying around or disposing of them improperly would justify giving top priority to helping residents to dispose of them safely.

City recycling officials say the volume of hazardous waste they handle hasn’t declined and that the appointment system reduces overtime and allows for safer handling than the Saturday drop-offs, which could draw several hundred vehicles in a single morning. Obviously there is a demand for this service. Maybe it’s not too much to ask residents to make an appointment to drop off even small amounts of these materials, but couldn’t the city make it a little easier?

Because these materials are far more dangerous than the paper and grass clippings that the city picks up at the curb once a week, it seems to make sense to make it as convenient as possible to dispose of them properly.