Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service
When
you care for yourself, your family, home, car, yard, and garden,
you use a variety of chemical products. Many of these products
contain hazardous chemicals. When you no longer want these
products, they become hazardous waste. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) defines four major types of hazardous
waste:
Corrosive
wastes can cause a chemical action that eats away materials
or living tissue. Battery acid is an example.
Toxic
wastes can cause illness or death. Some such wastes are
more dangerous than others. Exposure to a small concentration
of a highly toxic chemical may cause symptoms of poisoning.
Pesticides, cleaning products, paints, photographic supplies,
and many art supplies are examples.
Ignitable
waste can catch fire spontaneously or burn easily. Examples
include charcoal lighter fluid, gasoline, kerosene, and nail
polish remover.
Reactive
waste can react with air, water, or other substances to
cause rapid heating or explosions. Acids that heat up rapidly
and spatter when mixed with water are examples.
EPA
estimates that the average household disposes of one pound
of hazardous waste each year. In South Carolina that means
that 1,150,000 pounds of hazardous household wastes must be
handled each year.
Most
household products are not harmful if used according to label
directions. However, they can become harmful if used improperly,
stored improperly, or if unused portions are disposed of improperly.
Most
people dispose of hazardous products by throwing them in the
trash, pouring them down the drain, burning them, pouring
them in a ditch, dumping them on a vacant lot, or burying
them in a field. These practices are dangerous. Waste from
hazardous products can contaminate lakes, rivers, streams,
and groundwater (the places below the ground where water accumulates
before it goes to a river, stream, or well). This can create
serious problems for South Carolinians. Why? Because about
66 percent of the water South Carolinians use in their homes
each day comes from surface water. The remaining 34 percent
comes from groundwater. Often only a small amount of hazardous
materials can cause serious problems. It only takes one gallon
of oil to ruin one million gallons of water.
1.
Thrown in the Garbage?
Most of the residential trash in South Carolina is collected
door-to-door or is taken to a transfer station by individuals.
Ultimately the trash is taken to a county landfill. Most landfills
are not designed for hazardous household wastes. These wastes
can leak into water supplies and/or cause air pollution. Hazardous
household waste may cause a fire or explosion, or give off
dangerous fumes. Sanitation workers have been seriously burned,
lost their eyesight, or suffered lung damage while compacting
hazardous materials. Equipment has also been damaged.
2.
Poured Down the Drain?
When you pour hazardous household products down the sink or
flush them down the toilet the hazardous materials enter either
a septic system or a municipal sewer system. If you have a
septic system, wastewater from your home goes into a tank
buried underground. The solids settle out and partially decompose.
The remaining wastewater then goes into a drain field where
the natural, ongoing processes in the soil help to further
break down the wastewater. Toxic materials in that wastewater
can kill the helpful bacteria and the system will not operate
properly. Some toxic materials move through the soil untreated
or unchanged. When this happens groundwater or surface waters
may become contaminated. For example, many paint removers
and aerosol paint products contain the chemical methylene
chloride. This chemical can pass directly through a septic
system without breaking down at all. Chlorine bleach can also
pass through a septic system without breaking down. Also the
chlorine can react with organic matter to form new toxic chemicals.
If your home is connected to a municipal sewage system, wastewater
is piped to a central sewage plant. After treatment, it is
discharged into area rivers, lakes, and streams.
Most
municipal systems rely on bacteria or other organisms to decompose
the waste. Some hazardous household waste can pass through
the system unchanged and thus pollute the water downstream.
In addition, hazardous household wastes poured down the drain
may corrode the plumbing or collect in the trap and release
fumes through the drains.
3.
Poured in Ditches, Storm Drains, or Gutters?
If you pour hazardous household waste in ditches, storm drains,
or gutters, it can poison plants and wildlife, contaminate
the soil, and harm children and adults who come in contact
with it. When it rains, the hazardous household waste travels
directly to nearby streams, rivers, and lakes.
4.
Burned?
If you burn hazardous household waste, you risk producing
poisonous fumes, contributing to air pollution, or causing
an explosion. Controlled burning in special hazardous waste
incinerators by trained professionals can be a good disposal
method; open burning by an untrained homeowner is not. Some
hazardous materials may not burn away completely and become
concentrated in the ash; others can pollute the air.
5.
Dumped or Buried?
If you dump or bury some types of hazardous household
waste, they may leach through the soil and contaminate the
soil or water, especially if the waste is persistent or nonbiodegradable.
Children, pets, and wildlife may be exposed to such hazardous
waste. Dogs frequently are poisoned by drinking antifreeze
left on roads or driveways.
Storing
a hazardous household waste indefinitely is not a good solution.
Containers and their contents degrade over time. Labels get
lost, and the chance of children or pets finding the hazardous
waste increases when waste is stored for long periods of time.
However, storage may be the safest temporary option if there
is not a safe and organized system in your community to handle
hazardous household waste.
| SAFE
STORAGE RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Store containers on high shelves or in locked cabinets
away from children.
2. Protect the label so it does not come off and get
lost.
3. Store hazardous household products in the original
container.
4. Close containers tightly.
5. Keep containers dry to prevent corrosion.
6. Store similar products together to reduce any danger
from reactions if containers should leak or contents
should spill.
7. Store hazardous household products in a well-ventilated
area.
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A number
of problems can occur when we discard hazardous household
waste using common disposal methods. Recommendations for proper
disposal will depend on both the particular type of waste
and the waste disposal options available in your community.
Local
ordinances vary. Landfills may or may not accept certain hazardous
household products. They also may vary on how they want the
product to arrive at the landfill. For example, one landfill
may want you to solidify (air-dry) paint and wrap the container.
Another landfill may want paint handled a different way. In
addition, wastewater treatment plants may not allow certain
liquids to be poured down the drain. If you have any questions,
call your landfill, local wastewater treatment company, local
waste management office, or the local county Extension office.
1.
Follow the label instruction.
Some labels give disposal recommendations. Read the label
carefully and follow the manufacturer's recommendations.
2.
Use it up.
When products are fully used up as intended there is no hazardous
waste. Buy only as much as you need. Do not buy a gallon of
paint, pesticide, or specialty cleaner when a quart will do.
The large container may cost less per ounce, but leftovers
must be stored or disposed of so as not to harm people or
the environment.
3.
Recycle.
Recycling means reclaiming the potential waste so that the
product is usable again. Recycling helps reduce the overall
demand for hazardous household products and the amount of
waste produced. You can recycle paint thinner at home. Pour
paint thinner or cleaner into a jar. Let it sit for several
days. The solids settle to the bottom. When the liquid at
the top of the jar is clean, pour it into a container that
can be sealed for future use. If pouring stirs up the solid,
pour the liquid through a funnel lined with an old sheet.
Dispose of the dried solids in the trash.
Oil
and transmission fluids from your car and lawn mower can be
recycled. Find out if a collection program is available in
your area. Many gas stations are now accepting used oil for
recycling. Gas stations and stores that sell auto batteries
must recycle them.
4.
Donate.
Donate paint, household cleaners, or other products to a local
charity, church, or service organization. Theater groups,
the local housing authority, or a neighbor may be happy to
accept small quantities of usable paint or cleaning products.
Such items need to be in original containers with labels.
5.
Throw it in the trash with special treatment.
Some hazardous household wastes are acceptable at landfills
if special treatment is followed. Empty hazardous product
containers should be rinsed several times before discarding
in the trash. Use the rinse solution in the same manner you
were using the chemical solution. Call the local landfill
or solid waste management contractor for special information
on disposing of hazardous household waste. They can advise
you if they will even accept the waste.
6.
Flush a very small amount, no more than a cup, down the drain
with plenty of water.
Some hazardous household wastes can be flushed down the drain
as long as they are followed by plenty of water. This recommendation
applies if a hazardous household waste will be neutralized
by water or if the municipal or sanitary sewage system is
able to remove the toxins or render them harmless. This method
is not recommended for people who have septic systems. Heavy
concentrations of certain chemicals in a septic tank can destroy
the microorganisms that make the system work properly.
Call
your local wastewater treatment plant before you flush hazardous
household waste down the drain to be sure that the waste can
be neutralized by their system. Follow their recommendations
and consider the following:
- There
should be adequate ventilation in the area where you are
flushing the waste.
- Do
not dispose of chemical wastes in the food preparation area.
- Never
mix chemicals together while pouring or when they are in
the toilet or sink.
- Pour
slowly and carefully to avoid splashing. Wear gloves and
goggles to protect hands and eyes.
- Flush
wastes using a large volume of water.
- Rinse
the empty container with water before placing it in the
trash.
7.
Save for a collection day.
A community waste collection day is one way to manage hazardous
household waste and keep it out of the landfill. The collection
days are usually sponsored by a local government agency or
a private organization. Residents are notified of the date,
the drop off location, and the types of materials the program
will accept. The collected wastes are recycled, treated, or
disposed of by a professional handler.
Collection
days for hazardous household waste are a good way to dispose
of hazardous household wastes, such as automotive paint, brake
fluids, dry cleaning fluid, engine degreaser, flea powder,
epoxies and adhesives, photographic chemicals, paint supplies
and thinners, solvent-based cleaners and polishes, mothballs,
wood preservatives, gasoline, pesticides, swimming pool chemicals,
lacquer and lacquer thinner, car batteries, kerosene, mercury
batteries, and smoke detectors. If there is not a collection
program in your area, use the recommended disposal methods
described earlier. Find someone who might use the product
or recycle your waste. And in the meantime, store these products
safely!
It would
be difficult to eliminate all the hazardous products from
our lives. However, we can minimize environmental problems
from improper use and disposal of these products by:
- Comparing
labels and contents when buying. If a less toxic product
will work just as well, buy it.
- Buying
only what is needed. If there is no leftover product, there
is no waste to store or discard.
- Using
products according to label directions.
- Using
nontoxic alternatives. For example, clear a drain with a
metal snake instead of a chemical drain cleaner.
- Never
mixing products. Dangerous reactions can occur.
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Use and dispose of hazardous household waste responsibly.
Contact your local waste management office, water treatment
plant, landfill, or county Extension office if you have
questions. Make sure the disposal method you use is a
safe one so that hazardous waste does not contaminate
your environment. Adapted by Joyce H. Christenbury, CHE,
Extension Family Resource Management Specialist, August
1992, from Wilma Hammett. Disposal of Hazardous Household
Waste, HE-368-3. Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina
State University. 1991. |
Poison
Control Center 1-800-922-1117
To report products that have caused you harm:
U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission 1-800-638-2772
Household Products Disposal Council 202-659-5535
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
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