According to the EPA, the average American household produces around 160 pounds of hazardous waste per year. Much of that waste comes from common household products. Many of those products contain dangerous chemicals that when discarded, contribute to environmental contamination-especially of local water supplies. To "clean up" the confusion on how to get rid of those toxic chemicals, here is a handy guide to proper disposal of some common household hazardous wastes.
A note to septic tank users: Certain chemical substances cannot be used with nor disposed of using a septic tank. Read product labels carefully to determine if a product is safe for septic tank disposal.
Key:
Unless your community has a citywide collection day, whenever possible, avoid "saving up" waste until you have enough chemicals to make the trip to the collection site worth it. It is always worth it to rid you home of toxic chemicals. Remember to wear protective gloves, goggles, and clothing when using or transporting hazardous waste materials.
Keep in mind that for most common household hazardous wastes, a healthy and more environmentally friendly alternative exists. Using safer products can drastically reduce your family's exposure to unhealthy toxins, save you money and protect the environment.
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My storage room was filled with half cans of paint (I just redecorated,) varnish, old paint thinner and stripper. My trash people told me that they could not haul this to the landfill so I called our county extension office.