HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTES

WHAT ARE THEY EXACTLY?

To put it simply, household hazardous wastes, or HHW, are the residues of potentially harmful substances that you use in your home. If disposed of improperly, HHW can be harmful to the environment, to pets and other wildlife, and to other people. Hazardous wastes usually have one or more of the following characteristics; they can be:

• Corrosive: they eat or wear away at many materials

• Flammable: they easily ignite

• Reactive: they can cause an explosion or produce deadly vapours

• Toxic: they are poisonous to humans and animals

  

• antifreeze
• batteries
• brake fluid
• chlorine bleach
• drain cleaners
• fire extinguishers
• flea collars and sprays
• herbicides
• insecticides
• kerosene
• lawn chemicals
• lighter fluid
• lye
• mothballs
• nail polish remover
• old propane tanks
• paints
• pesticides
• pool chemicals
• prescription drugs
• solvents
• spot removers
• stains and finishes
• toilet cleaners
• used motor oil
• oven cleaners

You can't treat hazardous wastes like other kinds of garbage.

• Wastes can clog storm sewers and over-burden septic systems.

• Septic tanks and sewage treatment facilities can be damaged by corrosive chemicals.

• Incinerating HHW may simply distribute them over a larger area.

• Pouring HHW on the ground can contaminate soil and water.

Products labelled as corrosive, flammable, reactive or toxic should be disposed of at a HHW Collection Event. Even if they don't have warning labels, it's safe to assume that products like paint, motor oil and old propane tanks are household hazardous wastes.

DO I REALLY NEED TO USE THIS?

Be a smart shopper! There are several questions that you can ask yourself when you're shopping to reduce the amount of HHW that your family produces:

Do I really need to use this?

The "new, improved, miracle formula!" may be more hype than help. Sometimes, the old- fashioned methods are simpler and safer. Instead of using hazardous chemicals such as pesticides, you could practice organic gardening techniques (do some research on companion planting, natural pest prevention and composting or use alternative cleaning products).

How much do I really need?

Try to buy just enough to finish the job. If you must buy a large quantity, share what's left with a friend or a community group.

How will I dispose of this when I am finished? Is using the product worth all the hassle involved in getting rid of it?

Find out when the HHW Collection Event is scheduled in your county and watch for special collection days. In the meantime store your collection of hazardous wastes out of the reach of small children and pets.

Hazardous household wastes don't have to be a long-term disposal problem. The next time you have to buy a potentially hazardous product, look for the type that has been recycled. Re-refined motor oil is a good example.

WORD MATCH

A. 2 million gallons

B. toxic

C. organic gardening

D. 8 million

E. groundwater contamination

F. corrosive

G. used motor oil

H. all-purpose cleaner

Questions...

1. Two hazardous products you may find in your house.

2. The amount of drinking water one gallon of motor oil can contaminate.

3. A method of growing plants without using pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

4. Two characteristics that may make a product hazardous.

5. Environmental damage caused by improper disposal of HHW.