Recycling dangerous items
You know it's dangerous to throw compact fluorescent light bulbs, medications, and other household hazardous waste into the trash, but it can be hard to figure out what to do with it.
It's true that in most cases you'll have to make a special effort to responsibly get rid of these items. But, luckily it's not all that hard if you're willing to do a little research and some advance planning.
The laws for disposing of household hazardous waste (HHW) vary depending on where you live, but here are some general guidelines for some common items:
- Aerosol cans. Empty cans can be recycled fairly easily through your curbside program or at your local recycling facility. Partially full cans are harder to get rid of. Don't try to empty them yourself, says Earth911. Instead, see if your local recycling or HHW drop-off center will take them. It's also not a good idea to send pressurized cans (empty or not) to a landfill because they can explode if a fire breaks out.
- Car stuff. Wal-Mart, Autozone, JiffyLube, and others recycle used motor oil. Ask if they'll take your old filters back for recycling too. Return dead car batteries to the store where you are purchasing a new one and ask if they'll recycle it. If not, check with your local HHW center.
- CFLs. It's important to properly recycle fluorescent bulbs because they contain tiny amounts of mercury. Drop CFLs off at any Home Depot or Ikea for free recycling. Or search Earth911 for other local options.
- Cleaning products. You can't recycle them, but that doesn't mean you should throw them in the trash or pour them down the drain. Read the label for information on disposal, suggests Darby Hoover at the Natural Resources Defense Council. You'll most likely need to bring old products to a HHW center. The same is true for pesticides and any other chemicals you want to get rid of.
- Medications. Don't flush them down the toilet or pour them down the drain because tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals are making their way into our streams, rivers, and lakes. Your best bet is to find a program that will take back unused medications. Some suggestions: Check with your local government to see if it's hosting a collection event. Ask if your pharmacy or HHW collection program will accept old prescription drugs. Costco members can bring unwanted medications to one of its pharmacies. Otherwise, read these suggestions on how to safely throw them in the trash.
- Paint. Do your best to make sure it gets used. Give it to a friend. Use it for primer. Donate it to a charity, such as Habitat for Humanity. If you can't reuse it, then search Earth911 to see if you can recycle it. Otherwise, you might need to throw dried paint in the trash if it's not against the law in your community. Remove the lid from a latex paint can and let it dry out until it's completely hard. Take any oil-based paints directly to your household hazardous waste center.
Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.
You do not appear to have Yahoo! Messenger installed. Click here to download and install it.
- Subscribe to Y! Green Featured Articles
- Subscribe to Y! Green News
Past Blog Entries
- Tips for stress-free holiday travel
- The best holiday shipping deals
- Too much of a good thing can be bad
- Is there BPA in your canned food?
- How to save money by slowing down
Leave a Comment:
You must first sign in.
More Green Stories
-
Slow-cooker side dishes for Thanksgiving
These recipes will delight guests -- and leave the cook with time to mingle.
-
10 ways to catch germs over the holidays
Parties and family gatherings mean more chances to catch up -- and catch a cold.
-
Too much of a good thing
Aren't there some things that you just can't have too much of? Not really.
comments from our community
Showing 1 - 15 of 37 comments
- Next 15 >
- Last
Post Comment