Handle, Store, and Dispose of Hazardous Wastes Properly

If you must not pour hazardous wastes down the drain or on the ground, or even put them out with your regular trash, what on earth should you do with them? Recall the Spaceship Earth analogy, then see if the following steps make sense.

Learn to recognize what materials are hazardous

If you think a product you’re considering buying might be hazardous, read the label. Look for words such as “danger”, “warning”, or “caution”. Some labels describe the hazard with words like “corrosive”, “flammable”, “toxic”, or “explosive”. And sometimes labels indicate a health risk, e.g., “irritant” or “harmful if swallowed”.

Purchase the least toxic product available

Choose products made from safe, biodegradable materials. Select a water-based substance over a solvent-based substance over a solvent-based one for products like paint, glue, and shoe polish. Avoid aerosol products, which release fine particles of propellant every time they are used. When you inhale, these particles can lodge in your lungs.

Buy only as much as you need

If you buy a gallon of oil-based paint when you need only a quart, you will have to store the remainder. If it gets old and dried up, you may end up throwing it out with the trash.

Use as directed

Use the recommended amount of a product, not more or less. Never mix chlorine-based cleaning products with those containing ammonia. If the material is flammable, extinguish nearby pilot lights. If it is to be used in a well-ventilated area, open the doors and windows or turn on an exhaust fan. Take whatever precautions are necessary to protect yourself, by wearing goggles, gloves, or a face mask. Chemicals can enter your body by absorption through the skin or inhalation of fumes and vapors.

Store unused portions properly

Keep the product tightly sealed, upright, and in its original container. Make sure that toxic products are not stored near food and that children and animals cannot reach them. Keep flammable products away from a source of heat. Consider giving unused portions of substances like paint and paint strippers to friends and neighbors, a church, or a social service agency.

Recycle the product if possible

Some hazardous materials, such as paint thinners, motors oil, and car batteries, can be recycled.

Dispose of hazardous wastes properly

When you decide to get rid of unused portions of a hazardous material, check the label to see if it contains any directions for disposal. If so, follow them.

Some communities maintain a permanents hazardous waste collection center. Others set up temporary centers a few times a year to collect waste. If you’re not certain what your community does, call the city public works department for information. Should the city have no provisions at all for dealing with hazardous waste, write letters to the mayor, other public officials, and the newspaper about the need for a collection center. And try not to buy any more hazardous products yourself.