You most likely have got one. The musty shelf in your shed rife with toxic paints, chemicals and aged gasoline for your lawn trimmer. Placed up high, these products are safe from your youngsters and household pets.

Good for you, but please think about the environment as well. It is vital that you don't throw these items out with the weekly trash. they must be disposed of properly. It’s estimated that every American home has an average of 100 pounds of hazardous household waste. This includes everything from paint and thinners to used motor oil, pesticides, bleach, cleaners and even batteries. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) are also considered hazardous waste due to the small amount of mercury they contain.
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Let’s start with what not to do when thinking about getting rid of these types of products. Pouring hazardous household waste down any drain delivers the toxic substances directly into our water supply. Even pouring stuff like used motor oil down a storm drain can have far reaching repercussions. Pollution that flows into our storm drains from rain run-off is amongst the largest contributors of water pollution in America.

It is good policy to never place hazardous waste into the trash. Those items are transported to your community landfill and are absorbed by the soil and ultimately make their way into the ground water. Hazardous household waste needs to be handled with caution and discarded properly. Recycling centers are set up all around the country to deal with the collection and containment of hazardous household waste materials. Your county water authority could also be a great source of advice on recycling programs in your city. Keep your eyes open throughout the year for recycling activities promoted on television and radio. These are good opportunities to get involved in cleaning up your town.

Think about this alternative. you can actually lessen the amount of harmful waste in your home by purchasing less of it in the first place. Usually there are all-natural options that do the job just as well. Eco-friendly cleaners and pesticides are available on store shelves and while they may cost more to purchase, keep in mind the true cost of an item is always more than just the money you spend.

Just because the hazardous household waste may be out of sight in your home, it shouldn’t be out of mind. Let us come together for the health and wellbeing of our planet by gathering and disposing of our common household waste items in an eco-friendly way.




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