Household Hazardous Waste
HHW is produced in homes through domestic activities (not industrial). It is often of the same nature and types as industrial hazardous waste, but it is not subject to the same regulations. The federal government has no real regulations for this type of waste produced at small quantities by households. You can't just dump it anywhere, of course, but
State and local laws may regulate household waste, hazardous and otherwise, and some municipalities even have programs for collecting or allowing drop-off of waste.
Lawn and garden products – unused pesticides and herbicides. These products exist to kill things – pests and weeds – and they are often poisonous or dangerous to humans. If you use these products – sprinkle them on your lawn – they are not waste. But old stuff still sitting in their containers could be considered hazardous waste.
Cleaning products – again, if you use them, they are not waste. But old stuff still sitting in the containers is hazardous waste. This includes drain uncloggers, oven cleaners, polishes, turpentine.
Car products – motor oil, STP and similar fuel boosters, fuel-injection cleaners
Maintenance products – paint strippers and thinners, old paint, some adhesives.
Who is at risk from HHW? Most waste poses low risk as long as managed sensibly.
It's when homeowners go to dispose of them that they most often harm the
environment. Don't flush hazardous liquids down your toilet or down the
drain. In addition to possibly hurting your plumbing system, your municipal
wastewater treatment system may not be equipped to handle this.
California's Integrated Waste Management Board
Alameda County California page on household hazardous waste - good tips for everyone, actually.
University of Missouri Outreach Program
University of Missouri
Extension Office of Waste Management
Association of New Jersey Household Hazardous
Waste Coordinators
Karmayog
- Resources for Nonprofits
California Integrated Waste Management
Board
Local Governements
for Health & the Environment
York
Canada Region Household Hazardous Waste
Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection
Stopwaste.org
Toronto Solid Waste Management
Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)