The Top 5 Major Types of Household Hazardous Wastes of Concern
By Steve Evans

Household hazardous waste is the term used for any goods or materials that is discarded from a home or a similar source that contains:

1. Chemicals that may evaporate into the air and become ignitable: are capable of burning or of causing a fire

2. Corrosive chemicals which capable of reacting with and dissolving goods or materials and injuring living tissue when in contact

3. Chemicals that may be explosive and/or Reactive: capable of causing an explosion or releasing poisonous fumes when exposed to air, water or other chemicals

4. Toxic Substances which are poisonous, either immediately or become so over a prolonged time period.

5. Radioactive materials capable of damaging and destroying cells and cell genetic development.

When you think of this list dangerous and toxic wastes, we generally think of the pollution that factories produce that are mostly what is harmful to the environment. But all of the above categories of household hazardous waste products that we have listed above are in use every day in many homes and could damage our health if not handled and disposed correctly.

For instance, if you have just finished a home improvement project, and leave certain items like paint or glue around for a long period of time, the fumes could irritate your nasal passages, and could even cause skin irritation and breathing problems. Even things like furniture cleaners, cooking oils, or garden pesticides can be considered household hazardous waste, and you do need to be very careful when you are disposing of these items.

Used syringes are a form of household hazardous waste when discarded in the home. Put all used syringes and needles in a tightly sealed and labelled container and take them to a Household Hazardous Waste depot. (We recommend that you phone your local authority to check that each of your wastes can be accepted before you go to the recycling centre.)

It is probably a good idea to place the discarded items in a separate trash bag, and drive them to your neighborhood’s trash drop-off location if possible. The longer these substances stay in your house, the more they could irritate the nervous or respiratory systems, or get dropped or spilt. We hardly need to say that the storage of these materials in our homes is especially dangerous if small children live in the house.

If you have leftover paint or cleaning solutions that you need to dispose of, you should never pour it down the drain or into a storm sewer. This may seem to some like a better method than throwing the items in the household trash. But, introducing these poison substances to the local surface water drainage system will have negative consequences when the flow discharges into streams, rivers, ponds and lakes, where the fish will be easily killed.

Household Hazardous Wastes require special attention during handling, storage, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal. Your neighborhood may have already provided instructions for getting rid of household hazardous waste, so be sure to ask your local council about this if you have not received the relevant information.

Another great way to make sure that your home is not contaminated by household hazardous waste is to purchase cleaning products that are all-natural. Many times, the synthetic cleansers in bathroom and tile sprays, laundry detergents, and paints and finishing solutions can harm the environment quickly, and make children and adults very sick. If you’re using products that contain natural plant and flower oils, it is less likely that you will experience red eyes, skin rashes, or shortness of breath while cleaning or disposing of cleaning materials. Brands like Seventh Generation and Jason have great natural and organic household cleaners that you may want to try.

For more information on how you can eliminate the exposure of household hazardous waste in your home and in your neighborhood, visit your local authority and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) web site (US residents), or the Environment Agency (EA) UK web site to find out about disposal regulations which apply in your area.

For other information about waste management and recycling visit The Landfill Site.

For regular news and articles about UK and international waste management go now to the Wasters News Blog.

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