My town of Flagstaff has a collection day where many common household hazardous waste items are collected, for free, and properly disposed of.
It's important to keep these potentially harmful products "out of the loop" - in other words, keep their toxic components from seeping thru landfills and entering the precious water table. You might be surprised by what common household things are toxic.
Here is a list of the products my city considers hazardous, just for comparison. Your city might differ slightly, but this list is a good place to start:
- Automotive fluids: motor oil, antifreeze, etc...
- Florescent light bulbs
- Lawn and garden products
- Hobby Chemicals
- Paint products
- Solvents
- Drain cleaners
- Household and car batteries
- Pool and spa chemicals
- Household cleaners
- Polishes
- Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides
- Televisions, computer monitors, CPUs and peripherals
- Tires (this has to go to a special county facitilty, and there is a fee)
It is very difficult to find easy-to-understand books on the topic of household hazardous waste. Here is the best book I've found for getting a handle on this important topic. It's a thick book but written with the layman (that's us) in mind. The author covers federal EPA regulations, Superfun sites, reporting spills, and a state-by-state comparison for what is toxic and how items are to be handled. This is an awesome reference, and the only one I'd recommend for behind-the-scenes information on handling our country's hazardous waste:
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