Household Hazardous Waste

Facts

• A pint of oil poured down a storm drain or into a gutter can spread into a one-acre oil slick when it reaches a stream. Dumped oil from one oil change can ruin a million gallons of fresh water – enough to supply 50 people for a year.
• Dumping hazardous wastes into a stream is a crime and could result in jail terms and/or fines.
• Pesticides that are poured down a sink may go straight through the sewage treatment plant without being removed and discharge into a stream.

The average household throws 15.5 pounds of hazardous materials into the trash each year. Homes contain an average of three to eight gallons of hazardous materials in the kitchen, bathrooms, garages and workshops. Household hazardous materials are frequently poured down storm drains and sink drains. Disposal of household hazardous waste into the storm sewer, sanitary sewer, or trash can result in harm to people, the environment, and wildlife.

Children and pets are at risk where there are wastes left around the house. Wildlife along and in streams polluted with household hazardous waste are placed in danger. Uses (drinking water, recreation, etc.) of streams can be decreased by illegal dumping of wastes into the stream.

Every home in the City contains products that could become household hazardous waste if they were improperly disposed. Cleaning products like aerosols, bathroom cleaners, drain cleaners, and car supplies and repair products are all considered household hazardous wastes. Some of these products include:

• Cleaning: oven cleaner, bathroom cleaners, floor wax, furniture polish, drain cleaner, and spot remover.
• Car care and maintenance: motor oil, battery acid, gasoline, starting fluid, car wax, engine cleaner, antifreeze, degreaser, radiator flush, and rust preventative.
• Home improvement: paints, preservatives, strippers, brush cleaners, and solvents.
• Lawn: pesticides, insecticides, weed killers, fertilizer
• Other products labeled toxic, flammable or corrosive.

Best Practice

• Buy non-toxic alternatives instead of traditional household chemicals.
• Buy only the amount needed, not a large container just because it is on sale.
• Use all of the chemical, don’t let it get old and unusable.
• If you can’t use it, give it to someone else who can.
• Handle, store and use all household products safely.
• Avoid spillage and leaking containers
• Safely store all unwanted household hazardous wastes and dispose of them at the next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day event.