How to Handle Hazardous Household Waste

No matter how hard we all try to live "green" and be environmentally friendly, we always seem to end up with some hazardous products in our homes. Many of the products we use for polishing, painting, cleaning and waxing are considered hazardous and need to be treated accordingly. Fortunately, sometimes we can substitute natural products for chemical cleaners, but when we can't, we do need to understand how to handle our hazardous household products.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Concern for the environment
• An inquiring mind

Hazardous Household Products

1. Identify hazardous waste in your home. Check the garage, garden or pool shed, and the area where you store cleaning products.
2. Note that computer and other electronic equipment contains hazardous waste, as do some light bulbs.
3. Here's a list of some common household products that could be considered hazardous. Keep in mind this is by no means a definitive list.
   
   Aerosol cans
   Antifreeze (radiator / windshield)
   BBQ and camping fuel
   Car batteries
   Chemical lawn fertilizers
   Cleaners (toilet, oven or drain)
   Gasoline
   Insect repellent
   Leftover paint
   Paint brush cleaners / solvents
   Propane cylinders
   Some furniture polishes
   Swimming pool chemicals
   Used motor oil
   Used transmission fluid
   Weed or insect killer

Using Hazardous Products

4. Read labels and learn what is in the products that you buy. Compare the ingredients and if 2 products can do the same job, try to choose the less hazardous one.
5. Buy only quantities you need and can use. You may save a few cents per ounce on the larger size, but if you don't need it all, you're going to have to get rid of it.
6. Find out about natural products that can be used in place of chemicals. For example, vinegar can get rid of lingering odors and clean soap residue, while garden-grade diatomaceous earth (available at pool supply and garden stores) works great at keeping slugs and crawling insects away from plants in your garden.
7. Consider using non-chemical options. A metal snake for unblocking drains will clear out a drain as well as—if not better than—a chemical cleaner with the added bonus that it will never harm the environment.
8. Share your hazardous products if you have too much. Lawn fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides are all products that can be easily shared with a neighbor.
9. Learn what can be recycled. Used motor oil, transmission fluid and car batteries are all recyclable. Many garages will recycle your old oil and some communities also have recycling programs for just this purpose.

Disposing of Hazardous Products

10. After you've tried reducing, reusing and recycling your hazardous products and you're still faced with getting rid of some, do it responsibly.
11. Store your hazardous products until your community's next hazardous waste collection day or take them to a designated site for safe professional disposal.
12. Read and follow the label directions on how to dispose of leftover products if you're disposing of them yourself.

Tips & Warnings

• You can reuse paintbrush cleaner. Simply save any used cleaner for a week or so. The paint residue will sink to the bottom and the now clear paintbrush cleaner on top can be poured off and reused.
• Steam is great for cleaning and disinfecting. Handheld steam cleaners can clean around the lip of a sink or a tub as well as clean and disinfect a kitchen counter.
• Doing a simple Internet search on natural cleaning products will give you many options to keep your home clean without chemicals.
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that American households generate 1.6 million tons of hazardous waste per year.
• Get rid of your household waste responsibly. DON'T dump them down drains, put them out to be collected with your trash, bury them or burn them. By doing these things, the hazardous products will either end up in our water supply, contaminate the earth or pollute our air.

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