The handling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) has become quite a problem over the past couple decades. Items that used to be thrown into the trash, poured down the drain, or dumped in the grass have been proven to pose a health threat when disposed of improperly.
Products that are considered HHW are safe when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, but become hazardous when they are thrown away in a manner that may leach chemicals into the soil or groundwater. Some examples of common HHW include oil-based paints, cleaners, used oils, batteries, household cleaners, fuel, pesticides or other items that contain potentially hazardous ingredients.
Medical waste comes in many forms and from many sources. Doctors
offices and hospitals are only the beginning. Dental offices, blood
banks, and vet clinics also produce medical waste.
Medical waste can be
liquids, solids, semi-solids, or contained gases. They can be
manufacturing process byproducts, sludges or spent materials, or simply
discarded products.
Whatever their form, proper management and disposal is essential
to protect human health and the environment.
Batteries have become an American staple for such things like appliances, toys, electronics, and so many other things we have grown fond of in our lives. “Fond of” is almost an understatement when it comes to some of the things that take batteries that we have almost become dependent on.
So many of the household batteries that we use are able to be thrown into the trash and, ultimately, the landfill.
Nothing transforms an item, a room, or a whole house like a fresh
coat of paint. It's fairly
easy, somewhat inexpensive, and generally doesn't require too much clean-up. Unless you are an expert in gauging exactly how much paint you will need or you are incredibly lucky, most of us always have some paint leftover. How are these half-full cans of paint disposed of properly? Well that depends on what type of paint you used.
The two types of paint available are water-based
and oil-based. Water-based paint, also called latex paint, was invented
in the 1940's in Canada, using the resin from
a rubber tree as a binder. The binders that are currently used in latex paints are
made from synthetic polyvinyl acetate resins and styrene
butadiene, along with other synthetic binders. Clean-up after using latex paint is easily done with soap and water.
The handling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) have
become quite a conundrum over the past couple decades. Items that used
to be thrown into the trash, poured down the drain, or dumped in the
grass have been proven to pose a health threat when disposed of
improperly.
“According to federal and Indiana statutes the term
"hazardous waste" means a solid waste, or combination of solid waste
that, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical or
infectious characteristics may: cause or significantly contribute to an
increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or
incapacitating reversible, illness; or pose a substantial present or
potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly
treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise managed.”
The handling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) has become quite a problem over the past couple decades. Items that used to be thrown into the trash, poured down the drain, or dumped in the grass have been proven to pose a health threat when disposed of improperly. 
