You may be surprised to know that at this very moment inside your home, there are likely hazardous materials that could harm your family, your pets, and the environment. “Not in my home,” you might say. However, taking a closer look you will probably discover the hidden dangers that lie within the walls of your home. If you see the words POISON, DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION on any items in your home that is a good warning sign that they are hazardous and need special care when disposing of.
Common Household Hazardous Materials
If a product is flammable, toxic, corrosive, reactive, or explosive it is considered hazardous. Common examples of such products you likely have in our home include:
- Medicines
- Oil-based paint
- Electronics
- Spot remover
- Batteries
- Motor oil
- Drain cleaner
- Cleaning products
- Pool chemicals
- Furniture polish
- Gasoline
- Oven cleaner
It is clear to see that these are very common products found in most households at any given time. It is important to note that hazardous materials such as these need special precautions when it comes to disposal.
How Can I Properly Get Rid Of Hazardous Waste?
- If at all possible, use up the hazardous products completely.
- If this is not possible, consider donating unused products to local services such as homeless shelters, Habitat for Humanity, or even local schools (electronics for example).
- If the product cannot be used by another source or used up completely by you, then you must follow your area’s safe disposal procedures for such waste.
Luckily, Franklin County makes it very easy and affordable for residents to safely eliminate household hazardous waste. The Household Hazardous Waste Center located on E. 8th Avenue in Columbus will gladly accept residents’ hazardous household waste during their business hours (three days per week). There is no charge for disposal with the exception of water-based paint ($1 per can). The center accepts just about all hazardous household waste with the exception of asbestos, appliances, tires, and medical waste. They even offer mobile collections once per year to various locations throughout Columbus. Check out their website for full details and information: http://www.swaco.org/Residents/HouseholdHazardousWaste.aspx. Getting rid of these hazardous materials is just a short drive away!
Avoiding Hazardous Waste Altogether
There are some ways to avoid common household hazardous waste altogether:
- Instead of drain cleaner, try boiling water, a plunger, or a drain snake.
- Avoid oil-based paints by using latex paint instead.
- Oven cleaners can be avoided by using a natural cleaner such as salt or ammonia.
- Household cleaners can be replaced inexpensively with baking soda and a little elbow grease.
- Eliminate air fresheners and instead just open windows or try baking soda.
Frog Hauling can provide easy, accessible, cost-effective garbage and junk removal for homes and businesses in the Columbus area. While we will not accept hazardous waste, you can have complete garbage removal by combining our services with those offered by the Household Hazardous Waste Center. Give us a call today to discover the benefits of a roll-off dumpster to help eliminate all things unwanted from your home: (614) 258-FROG.
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