If things look a little greener around here this April, there's a good reason. Our editorial staff is busy expanding the ideals of Earth Day into a month-long celebration of energy conservation, alternative transportation, recycling tips and about a million ways, you can be a better friend to the planet. Welcome to Green Month, Milwaukee.

You've been reading "green" stories all month, you've decided to purchase more eco-friendly products and strive toward a carbon-neutral existence, but there is a problem:

What do you do with the old stuff?

Some studies show that the average household contains between three and 10 gallons of material that is potentially hazardous to human health or the environment. Improper disposal can cause fires, injuries to people and pets and contaminated groundwater. You know that dumping a car battery in the woods, flushing a can of paint thinner down the toilet or hiding brake fluid or motor oil in the trash are not safe, viable options, but you don't know what else to do with the trash.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) can help.

MMSD has three permanent sites for household hazardous waste collection and sponsors occasional "mobile" collection sites at various times throughout the year, including one last weekend in the parking lot at State Fair Park.

"We had 700 customers last week," said Bill Graffin, public information director for MMSD. "Normally, we get 1,000 to 1,200 people, but the weather wasn't very good."

The household hazardous collection program, which costs $1 million per year, began in 1997. "We collected 411 pounds in '97," Graffin said. "Last year, it was 1.3 million pounds and we had record attendance of 15,000."

Earlier this month, MMSD sponsored a "medicine collection day," which encouraged residents to dispose of prescription and over the counter medications, ointments, sprays, inhalers, creams, vials and pet medications.

Because treatment plants do not remove all medicine from wastewater, drugs can seep into waterways and impact water purity and the reproductive cycles of fish and other wildlife.

More than 2,000 people in Milwaukee, Racine, Washington and Ozaukee Counties brought in roughly 3.5 tons of unused and expired medications, all of which will be destroyed.

The MMSD Web site lists numerous items that are welcome at the collection sites, including acetone, artist's paints, antifreeze, automobile oil, battery acid, brake fluid, contact cement, driveway sealer, aerosol cans, batteries, fungicides, furniture polish, fluorescent light bulbs, kerosene, paint stripper, pool chemicals, rat poison, stain, wood filler, cleaner, disinfectants, nail polish and thermometers.

Among the items that are not welcome: ammunition, car batteries, explosives, fireworks, medical waste, prescription drugs, propane cylinders, tires and electric appliances.

Another unwelcome item: latex paint.

"We've been telling people not to bring latex paint," Graffin said. "We're trying to keep our costs down. Latex is not necessarily a hazardous waste. You can dry it out and throw it out in your regular garbage.

"We're trying to get the message out that you don't need to bring latex paint. It's our way of keeping costs down. People can actually help keep their taxes down."

MMSD suggests that consumers apply multiple coats of paint in order to use as much of the supply as possible. Any extra can be disposed of by lining a cardboard box with heavy plastic, spreading a layer of an absorbent such as kitty litter, sawdust or newspaper on the bottom and adding a layer of paint and repeating until the paint is gone. When the absorbent mixture is dried, it should be wrapped in plastic and placed in the trash.

Here is a look at the permanent collection centers along with the times, dates and sites of the mobile collections:

PERMANENT SITES

City of Milwaukee Self Help Station
3879 W. Lincoln Ave.
7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday

Menomonee Falls
W124 N9451 Boundary Rd. (124th St.)
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Wednesday
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Franklin
Veolia Environmental Services
10518 S. 124th St.
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

MOBILE COLLECTIONS
Saturday, June 14 -- Shorewood High School, 1701 E. Capitol Dr., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, July 19 -- South Milwaukee DPW Yard, 1106 Blake Ave., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 13 -- Wauwatosa City Hall Lot, 7725 W. North Ave., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 17 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Saturday, Oct. 18 (8 a.m. to 2 p.m) -- State Fair Park Gate 8 (off 76th St.).