Household Hazardous Waste Facility: Lawn Care Chemicals

Lawn care chemicals, such as fertilizers, fungicides, outdoor pesticides, herbicides, weed killers, bug spray, wood preservatives and pool chemicals, are toxic and may cause long-term illness.

Do not apply lawn care products if it looks like rain. Rain will cause the chemicals to run off your yard and into Austin's creeks and rivers.

Safe Disposal

• At the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, new or nearly new products are stored at the Public Reuse Center and given away on a first come, first served basis.
• Bug sprays and weed killers that are banned by the EPA and other chemicals that are not suitable for the reuse center are shipped to an EPA-regulated incinerator.

Alternative Lawn Care Products

Control mosquitoes: Eliminate sources of standing water and plant mint in your yard. Use larvacides like pyrethrum.

Control fire ants: Use diatomacious earth. You can also try less toxic products like Ascend or Amdro. Be sure to apply these according to instructions on the label; broadcast the bait over the entire yard, not just the mounds; and treat your yard when the ground is dry and rain is not expected. Even these relatively safe products can harm aquatic life, so don't use them near creeks, lakes or storm drains.

Control aphids and spider mites: Mix a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap in a quart of water and spray the mixture on plants. Spraying every three days for a nine-day period interrupts their egg cycle.

Use biological controls to repel insects: Use bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a bacteria that is not harmful to humans, to control caterpillars. Ladybugs and green lacewings will control a variety of pests. They are available at most organic gardening centers.

Plant natural insect repellents: Marigolds, mint, pennyroyal, basil, tansy, sage, rosemary, and garlic will help discourage pests in your lawn and garden. Plant legumes and clovers to attract natural enemies to unwanted pests.

Control fleas: Use diatomacious earth to control fleas and ants outdoors. You can also apply insecticidal soaps or products containing pyrethrums to the infested areas. Although these are preferable to many other products, they are toxic to fish and wildlife if they run off into storm sewers and waterways. To significantly deter fleas, treat your house, your yard and your pet at the same time.

Fertilizers: Compost yard trimmings and food scraps in your backyard. The resulting compost makes an effective and safe soil conditioner for your yard. Leaving grass clippings on your lawn returns nutrients to the soil. Some people find it eliminates the need to fertilize.

Use alternative landscaping methods: Use Green Gardening concepts to help control pests and conserve water.