Some items, referred to by the EPA as Household Hazardous Wastes, shouldn’t be either recycled or tossed into the waste bin. Their disposal requires a bit more care and caution so that their toxic contents don’t cause harm down the waste stream. See the Hazardous Waste section below to find out how best to deal with these wastes.
List of Common Hazardous Household Waste Products.
- oven cleaners
- drain cleaners
- wood and metal cleaners and polishes
- toilet cleaners
- tub, tile, shower cleaners
- bleach (laundry)
- pool chemicals
- ant sprays and baits
- cockroach sprays and baits
- flea repellents and shampoos
- bug sprays
- houseplant insecticides
- moth repellents
- mouse and rat poisons and baits
- motor oil
- fuel additives
- carburetor and fuel injection cleaners
- air conditioning refrigerants
- starter fluids
- automotive batteries
- transmission and brake fluid
- antifreeze
- adhesives and glues
- furniture strippers
- oil or enamel based paints
- stains and finishes
- paint thinners and turpentine
- paint strippers and removers
- photographic chemicals
- fixatives and other solvents
- herbicides
- insecticides
- fungicides/wood preservatives
- propane tanks and other compressed-gas cylinders
- kerosene
- home heating oil
- diesel fuel
- gas/oil mix
- lighter fluid
- batteries
- mercury thermostats or thermometers
- fluorescent light bulbs
- driveway sealer
When you figure out what your city or town does and doesn’t accept, you might find that you’ve got some potentially recyclable materials that aren’t covered by your local program. Before you drop those things into the dumpster, check out Earth911.org’s recycling page (http://earth911.org/recycling/), which is an incredible resource for properly disposing of all sorts of waste—from recyclable goods to hazardous wastes. They’ve got a handy tool that let’s you enter your zip code and find local recycling and disposal services for just about anything.
Also remember—recycling everything you can is only one step in the recycling loop. While you don’t need to worry at all about the processing and manufacturing step, you can help close the loop by buying only products made with recycled content and packaged in recyclable materials.
