I've helped coordinate more than 20 household hazardous waste collections since 2003, but until this year, I've never been one of the people lugging in old paint, drain cleaners and other stuff you can't put out with the trash.

That will change today, when I'll be one of the hundreds of people dropping off materials from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Settlers Cabin Park. But it's not my household waste -- it's my mom's.

Last fall my mother, Lucy, who will soon turn 85, decided it was time to sell her house and move into an apartment. Following the trauma of disposing of a quarter-century of memories, signing a listing agreement and seeing dozens of strangers wander through her home, Mom finally received and accepted an offer to buy.

Now the real work started. She quickly found her new apartment, contacted a moving company and began the process of evaluating what would make the trip to the new digs, and what wouldn't make the cut. Mom donated items to local charities, gave keepsakes to friends and family and placed her castoffs at the curb for pickup by the trash guys.

That left the stuff you can't throw out, give away or dump down the drain. I found it sitting in rusty cans in the garage, covered with cobwebs in the shed and languishing under the sink in the kitchen and bathroom. It was all the stuff I had been helping other people dispose of for the past six years -- paints, stains, oil, anti-freeze, cleaners, pesticides, etc. Now it was my turn to dispose of 25 years' worth of accumulated household chemical products.

My job is to tell other people what we accept, how to load it, where to take it and how much it will cost to drop it off (a true bargain at just $2 per gallon!). Now here I was finding a big, sturdy box, lining it with plastic and loading it with cans, bottles, jugs and jars (knowing to check those lids to make sure they are securely fastened).

I was surprised at how much stuff had accumulated over the years, and before too long I was filling a second box and then a third. Now I understood where all those trunks loaded with stuff had come from. They're people just like me, who were helping their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles -- or just cleaning out their own basements, garages, sheds and workshops.

So if you are there today, dropping off your stuff, look for me. And if, while we're waiting for the professional contractor to unload our trunks, we happen to make eye contact, give me a nod of acknowledgement. I'll nod back. I know exactly how you feel.

Today's collection at Settlers Cabin Park is the first of six events sponsored by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, UPMC and other private and public sector partners in 2008. For a complete schedule, visit www.swpahhw.org or call 412-488-7452.