When you hear the term "hazardous waste," you might immediately think of a dangerous factory or a mad scientist's laboratory. The truth is that most people have hazardous waste right in their homes, and these objects might be things you use every day. Here are four common household hazardous waste items and the proper methods you can use to dispose of them:

1. Batteries

According to Battery Solutions, most batteries are safe to throw into the trash with your other household garbage. The exceptions to this rule are rechargeable batteries and watch batteries, which contain hazardous chemicals. Instead of throwing these items in your trash, you can send them to a battery recycling facility. Before sending your batteries in to be recycled, place a piece of tape over the conductive ends of the batteries to avoid any electric discharge.

2. Fuel

You may have gasoline or kerosene at your house for use in generators, vehicles, or appliances that generate flame. If you have leftover fuel that you no longer need, never pour it down the drain or dump it outside. These materials are highly flammable and therefore considered hazardous. Instead, call your local hazardous waste disposal service to remove your flammable waste.

3. Sharps

Sharps are usually found in the form of medical supplies. They can be things like hypodermic needles and lancets, but they can also be needles and pins used for sewing. When you have sharps, it's important to discard them in a box specifically made for sharps disposal. These boxes are hard and made from durable plastic, so your needles won't hurt you or others. You should never throw sharps away into the regular trash can. Instead, when your sharps container is full, you should take it to a designated hazardous waste collection facility. If you're a busy person that doesn't have time to drop off your sharps container, there are hazardous waste disposal services that can come to your house to collect it.

4. Cleaning products

You may not know that the cleaning products you use every day are considered hazardous waste. Cleaners containing bleach, ammonia, and other toxic chemicals are dangerous and should not be thrown into your ordinary trash can. This is because these materials can harm sanitation workers that come into contact with it. Empty containers can safely be thrown away, but full containers of chemicals should be disposed of using a hazardous waste disposal service.

Share