This past weekend, King County's Household Hazardous Wastemobile was in the Covington community in Southeast King County helping residents dispose of hazardous wastes. Throughout the year, the Wastemobile — the county's 40-foot tractor-trailer, moves from community to community around the county to accept household wastes at no charge.

This weekend, the Wastemobile will move to the Des Moines Marina, 22307 Dock St., in the north parking lot. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

When the Wastemobile program started in 1989, it was the first of its kind in the nation. Since then, every state has started some type of mobile hazardous-waste collection program.

The county program had 26 weekend collection events last year.

County residents often schedule their basement and garage-cleaning chores around the Wastemobile's schedule. The Wastemobile will accept pesticides; chlorine bleach; paint products; automotive products such as oil, antifreeze and batteries; fluorescent bulbs; and other household hazardous items. It won't take medical wastes, empty containers of any type, household batteries, radioactive materials, tires, appliances or explosives such as bullets or fireworks.

The county wants to cut down on hazardous materials ending up in normal household trash.

For information, call the King County Household Hazards Line at 206-296-4692, staffed weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays. Recorded information is available after hours. Information also is online: www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/wastemobile/index.html.

School committee deadline extended

The deadline for applications for nominations to the Seattle School Board's community advisory committee on school consolidations and closures has been extended to Friday.

The board intends to appoint 12 committee members plus two co-chairs to come up with recommendations on consolidations and school closures, which could be made as soon as next year.

The term of the committee is expected to extend through May. The board expects the superintendent to consider the committee's recommendations in developing his official preliminary closure recommendations. The board will take final action on school closures in late July.

Information about the committee and selection process is online at www.seattleschools.org and also is available at district headquarters, 2445 Third Ave. S.

Traffic watch

Tacoma Narrows Bridge: For up to two weeks, starting today, crews working on the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge will close the two center lanes of the existing bridge and initiate several rolling slowdowns during night hours to allow workers to remove a temporary enclosure on the lowest strut of the old bridge's Tacoma tower.

Weather permitting, lane closures will take place daily this week through Thursday, between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. Rolling slowdowns will occur between midnight and 4 a.m. each night. Each slowdown is expected to delay Highway 16 traffic at the bridge up to 30 minutes.

Can you help?

The Literacy Council of Seattle is again signing up new volunteers who speak, read and write English to be trained as tutors for English-as-a-second-language learners.

Tutor-training workshops are scheduled two Saturdays next month: March 11 and 18, both from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., in downtown Seattle. Volunteers must attend both sessions. To sign up, call 206-233-9720, or e-mail 3278@literacyprogram.org. Information is online at www.literacyseattle.org.

Here & Now is compiled by Seattle Times staff reporter Charles E. Brown and news assistant Suesan Whitney Henderson.

To submit an item, e-mail herenow@ seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.

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