How to Get Rid of Hazardous Materials

After a good spring cleaning of the basement, garage, or shed behind your house you find that you have an old car battery, some old gasoline, a couple of used tires, some paint, antifreeze, and used motor oil. At the end of the weekend you put all the trash on the curb and head off to work in the morning. When you get home that night you realize that all the old stuff you found lying around your home is still sitting in front of it! But wait a minute, wasn’t today garbage pick-up? Is it a holiday?

No. The sad truth is that you cannot simply throw these materials away with your household garbage. These items are considered to be hazardous materials because they are a danger to people and animals when not properly disposed of. You may also have a note in your mailbox from the garbage man saying that you have to take it to the county hazmat disposal facility. The laws vary from state to state, and also from county to county but most have the same basic guidelines for disposing of hazardous materials and waste products.

Batteries

Batteries are recyclable, or at least you can dispose of them through two different options. When you buy a new battery you can take back the old one at the same time and give it to the store. They will dispose of and/or recycle the battery for you. Batteries contaminate ground water and can also be a hazard to small children and pets. Your city, town, or county may also have a drop off location for used batteries. Also, any WalMart with a Tire and Lube Express will take used batteries for nothing!

Antifreeze/Coolant

When draining antifreeze from your car or lawn mower you should drain it into a pan. Use a pan large enough to catch the leak as well as any spillage. Do not use the same pan that you use for emptying the oil out of your car. The number one rule is never mix two different liquids or chemicals. After you drain the antifreeze pour it, carefully into clean, labeled plastic bottles. Usually local garages have recycling machines that can transform the coolant back into a usable product. Call a few places before you start driving around, not everyone has these machines.

Solvents

Solvents like brake fluid will dry out if left open and the best way is to pour it on top of cat litter. Make sure that the cat litter is ph balanced before you buy, and also get some cheap aluminum pans from the grocery store (like the ones your mom uses for potato salad at family picnics). Pour the cat litter in the pans and then pour on the solvent. Do not mix solvents they may become combustible or start fuming dangerous odors and gases. Most solvents are toxic if ingested so make sure that you store the pans in a safe place until the liquid is dry enough to throw away.

Used Oil

When draining your engine or transmission oil make sure that you use a drain pan. A typical drain pain is large enough to hold a couple of changes and usually costs less than $10. When the pan is full empty the used oil into clean plastic bottles, and label them as used oil. Milk jugs or other gallon jugs are great for storing used oil, not only in the garage but the kitchen as well. Take the used oil to any shop that does oil changes and they most likely will take it, as long as you only have a modest amount. If you have old oil quarts lying around take off the caps and place them upside down for a couple of hours to make the remaining oil run out. Usually it is only a few tablespoons from about 4 empty bottles, but you could keep it around for oiling the lawn mower, or Jet Ski.

Paint

Before you can dispose of paint it needs to be dried out, and then still disposed of as hazardous materials. You can also use cat litter or you can pour the paint onto an old scrap of carpet or plywood. Let the paint dry in a safe place, away from children and animals overnight and then dispose of at your county hazardous materials disposal center.

Gasoline and Paint Thinners

These materials are extremely hazardous and can be fatal if swallowed or immersed in. When disposing of gasoline and paint thinners pour them into an open container and place it in a safe place away from people and animals. The fumes may not only make you sick but can cause mysterious headaches, rashes, or respiratory and vision problems. Once the water evaporates from the mixture the gas will dissolve into the air. If you have especially large quantities of either you should take them to your county municipal waste facility.

Tires

Tires are only semi recyclable because of the threading inside the tires, as well as the condensed road grime and metal particles that build up inside of tires. Because of this reason, you may actually have to pay someone to take your used tires. Some areas do recycle tires, and most local garages will recycle them for a modest fee. Check with your local municipality to see if there is a drop off or scheduled pick-up for your location.

Ink Cartridges

If you do a lot of printing on your home computer you may have a lot of used ink cartridges lying around. Many people just throw them in the garbage, but in most areas that is a big no, no. Most office supply chain stores like Staples and Office Max will recycle used ink cartridges at no cost to you. Some suppliers also include postage paid envelopes for returning used cartridges, and if you send them back you will usually get a coupon for a discount on your next purchase.