Think Globally
What Makes Things Hazardous?
Household Hazardous Waste is any product that is discarded from a home or a similar source that contains volatile chemicals that are:
- Ignitable: capable of burning or causing a fire e.g. flammable or combustible
- Corrosive: capable of eating away materials and destroying living tissue when contact occurs e.g. acids and alkaline, bases
- Explosive and/or Reactive: capable of causing an explosion or releasing dangerous or poisonous fumes when exposed to air, water or other chemicals
- Toxic: poisonous, either immediately or over a long period of exposure time e.g. pesticides, herbicides, lead, mercury
- Radioactive: capable of damaging and destroying cells and chromosomal material
Just a few examples of HHW are used motor oil, oil-based paint, auto batteries, gasoline and pesticides. The term HHW refers specifically to those products used in and around the common household, not used for any industrial purpose.
These products can be harmful to living things, the environment, and to the people handing them, if they are not disposed of properly. This means HHW should never be dumped on the ground, down the drain, or thrown in the trash.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans generate 1.6 million tons of HHW per year. The average home alone at any one time can accumulate as much as 100 pounds of HHW in basements, garages, under the sink, and in storage closets.