From a safety standpoint, getting chemicals out of your house or outhouse that you no longer use it is a wise idea.

Some of these chemicals may even be unidentifiable, so homeowners in many cases have no idea what they are dealing with.

So instead of simply throwing them in the trash, pouring them down the drain or pouring them in the yard, people in Bowling Green on Saturday will have a safe place to take these chemicals.

People can gather all the disposable items they no longer want and take them to Western Kentucky University’s South Campus for the city and county stormwater management’s Household Hazardous Waste Day.

Items that people can bring to the campus are old paint, pesticides, herbicides, pool chemicals, oil, fuel, mercury and other wastes. These types of items originating from Warren County households will be collected.

People can also bring electronic items such as computer monitors, microwaves and televisions for a small fee. Although there will be a small fee for these items, other electronic items such as cellphones, fax machines, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, DVD players and many other household items can be provided for disposal for free.

This has been a successful event in years past, with many people turning out to have such unwanted materials properly disposed of.

Last year, the event collected 21,536 pounds of latex paint, which costs 25 cents a pound to properly dispose of.

Another advantage of bringing these items in for proper disposal is that homeowners receive an exemption for disposing latex paint along with their household waste. Also, the first 100 cars to the event Saturday will get a free gift from the city and county stormwater management department.

Most homeowners in Bowling Green/Warren County probably have old cans of paint or other items that they’ve been wanting to get rid of for years.

Saturday they have that chance and we hope the residents of our community take advantage of this mainly free disposal event.