Ever wonder what happens to those hazardous chemicals after you throw them away or dump it down the sink?
Products such as bleach, oven cleaners, insect and weed killers, and drain uncloggers are harmful chemicals that are likely to be sitting in your home right now. While we are careful to keep these hazardous chemicals away from children, we aren’t so careful when disposing of them.
When it’s time to get rid of household chemicals, we are tempted to just throw them away or pour the excess chemical down the drain. These are dangerous ideas! Here’s why:
- When you pour hazardous chemicals down the sink, you are either sending them into a septic system or a municipal sewer system. In other words, you are sending dangerous chemicals into surface or groundwater, both of which are essential to the environment.
- Throwing hazardous chemicals away in the trash can result in chemical leaks, forming a deadly gas or even an explosion!
The best and safest ways to dispose of hazardous chemicals are:
- Taking them to a location that accepts hazardous waste materials and can recycle or properly dispose of them (i.e. a hazardous waste center).
- Finding out if your community offers a “Hazardous Waste Collection Day” and dropping them off at the designated location.
- Finding out if any waste management companies or local environmental agencies in your area offer a curbside pick-up of hazardous chemicals.
Disposing of hazardous chemicals can have a serious effect on you, your family, and the environment. However, by following the suggested ideas above, you can protect the people you love from the effects of hazardous waste. For everything else you want to get rid of, there’s Garbage Guy!
