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DWM Publications > Table of Contents > Chapter Nine |
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THE CLEAN WATER BOOK:
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CHAPTER 9: |
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| REDUCING THE THREAT | |
| HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS | |
| HOME MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS | |
| BATTERIES | |
| DISPOSING OF HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE | |
| WHAT YOU CAN DO | |
| Many of the products used at home, such as soaps and detergents, are
meant to be washed down the drain. These products are biodegradable and,
if the wastewater from your home is properly treated, they pose no problem
to the environment.
However, there are products commonly found on kitchen and bathroom shelves that are toxic to people and to the environment. Oven cleaners, floor wax, furniture polish, drain cleaners and spot removers are examples of household hazardous waste. Check the labels of products for toxic components such as the following: lye, phenols, petroleum distillates and trichlorobenzene. Household hazardous waste includes products that contain materials that are toxic to humans, flammable, volatile, corrosive or react with other substances to create hazardous materials. Products containing such chemicals pose a potential threat to human health, if improperly used, and also present real environment hazards when it comes to disposal. Proper disposal of these chemicals (usually through high-temperature incineration) may cost several times as much as the original purchase price.
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| REDUCING THE THREAT | |
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| To reduce this threat, each of us must think carefully about whether
we need to use these hazardous substances around the house, how we can
find safe, useful alternatives and how we can properly dispose of the waste
when we use these products.
The best way to avoid disposal problems is to avoid purchasing products with toxic ingredients in the first place. It is often possible to use an alternative, less toxic method to clean or polish. Ovens, for example, can be cleaned by applying table salt to spills, then scrubbing with a solution of washing soda and water. A combination of lemon oil and linseed oil makes a good furniture polish. Clogged drains can sometimes be cleaned with a metal "snake" instead of toxic chemical cleaners. Less toxic products for "sluggish" drains are now appearing on supermarket shelves. When you feel that it is absolutely necessary to use a household hazardous product, some cautions should be observed. Buy only as much of the product as you need, so that you don't have to worry about leftovers. Read the label and use the product only as directed. Never apply more than the directions recommend. Some products become even more dangerous when mixed with others, for example, chlorine bleach mixed with ammonia can produce deadly chlorine gas. Protective clothing and rubber gloves may be necessary; good ventilation is a must.
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| HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS | |
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| Household cleaners and polishes such as floor and furniture polishes
can contain diethylene glycol, petroleum distillates or nitrobenzene, which
are toxic and volatile. A safer alternative would be to mix one part lemon
juice to two parts of vegetable oil and little extra elbow grease. More
and more less-toxic products such as citrus-based cleaners are appearing
on the market.
Aside from lawn and garden products, pesticides are found in many household cleaners in order to kill bacteria and disinfect. To determine if a cleaner does contain pesticides, look for the EPA Registration Number on the label. Substitute alternatives when possible. If you do use pesticides, be certain to use them correctly and dispose of them properly. Be sure to read the label and follow the instructions carefully.
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| HOME MAINTENANCE PRODUCTS | |
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| Household maintenance products such as enamel and oil-based paints
contain toxic and flammable hydrocarbons. Latex or water-based paints are
less toxic alternatives. Dispose of empty containers through your county
household hazardous waste program.
Among the most toxic household products are those used for home repair and maintenance. Paints, preservatives, strippers, brush cleaners and solvents contain a wide range of chemicals, some of which are suspected carcinogens. These products should never be put into sewer or septic systems, in other words, never poured down the drain. Latex paint cans and other containers should be allowed to dry before being placed in the trash, if possible. Hobby supplies, such as photographic chemicals, are also hazardous and should not go down the drain.
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| BATTERIES | |
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| Discarded batteries can release heavy metals into the environment.
While disposable batteries are only a small portion of the total municipal
solid waste stream, they are the single most concentrated source of mercury
and cadmium. Most of these batteries go to solid waste facilities, where
the metals in these batteries can be released as emissions from incinerators
or leachate from landfills.
In order to avoid these problems, batteries containing high levels of heavy metals should be removed from the general solid waste stream. Some counties and municipalities now have programs for the recovery of consumer batteries. Check with your local recycling coordinator. New disposable batteries with much lower levels of, or no heavy metals, present are currently on the market. These pose a much lower risk of causing contamination. Another alternative is to use rechargeable batteries or power adapters that plug into electrical sockets.
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| DISPOSING OF HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE | |
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| The kinds of household hazardous waste described in this chapter should,
in general, never be disposed of "down the drain." Your drain leads either
to a home septic system or a municipal treatment plant, neither of which
is designed to completely remove toxic chemicals from wastewater. At least
some of the toxins pass through the treatment process and end up in a stream,
river or ground water. If you have a septic system, be extremely careful
not to dispose of toxic chemicals through the system. It can mean direct
contamination of your own and other wells. It can also cause your septic
system to malfunction. (See the separate chapter on septic systems.)
The products described in this chapter should never be poured on the ground where they can contaminate ground water, or poured into storm drains where they will enter storm sewers, which generally lead to nearby streams. You can recycle your unwanted household chemicals by giving them to neighbors or local institutions that can use them. You might initiate an exchange program in your neighborhood in which neighbors circulate a list of all unwanted paints, solvents cleansers and so forth. If you can't recycle your unwanted chemicals, call your county's Solid Waste Management Coordinator for further advice. Store your leftover household hazardous waste for disposal at your county's next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day.
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| WHAT YOU CAN DO | |
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| Here are some general rules of thumb for using and disposing of household
chemicals.
Use alternative, less harmful products whenever possible. Buy only as much as you need. Read the label. Know what you are buying and what the potential hazards are. Store products in their original containers so that the label can be referred to whenever the product is used. Support efforts to implement or improve sound household hazardous waste disposal programs.
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