What is hazardous household waste?
Federal regulations exempt any wastes from households (including
residential businesses like hotels, campgrounds, etc.) from being
hazardous waste. Since some consumer products contain chemicals
that can present safety concerns if improperly used or disposed,
these materials are often called hazardous household waste (HHW)
when they are disposed. These wastes are municipal solid waste, and
almost all can be safely and legally disposed in landfills that can
accept regular trash. However, there are better disposal options,
so many people choose to dispose of HHW in a more
protective manner. Such disposals are often done through collection
programs.
Under Texas laws and regulations, HHW is limited to
those wastes from households that would be hazardous waste if they
were not specifically excluded by the federal regulations. This
group of materials is somewhat smaller than all consumer products
that can cause environmental or health impacts, since hazardous
waste only includes materials that present a significant potential
for harm. Many HHW collection programs also accept materials that
are not technically HHW because of the benefits of
proper reuse or disposal of these materials. It is up to the entity
running the collection program to determine exactly which materials
will be accepted, as well as whether materials will be reused or
just disposed.
It may be confusing that waste, which would be hazardous waste
if it came from a business, school, etc., can be disposed as
regular trash when it comes from residences. There are two main
reasons for this exemption: households usually make far less of
these wastes than businesses or other organizations; and consumer
products usually do not contain the most hazardous ingredients that
can be used in industrial processes. Because of the much lower
quantities and the lower potential risk in the materials likely to
be disposed, there would be limited benefit from making households
comply with hazardous waste requirements.
Examples of HHW
- Fluorescent light bulbs (including compact
fluorescent light bulbs)
- Oil-based paints
- Some anti-mildew and exterior latex paints
- Some wood stains
- Fuels (gasoline, propane, diesel)
- Corrosive cleaners (such as lye-based oven cleaners)
- Drain cleaners
- Pool chlorine and acid
- Automotive batteries
- Nickel-cadmium batteries
- Televisions and computer monitors
- Some pesticides
Examples of Other Materials Often Collected with HHW
- Motor oil (new or used)
- Oil filters
- Antifreeze (new or used)
- Most latex paint
- Most pesticides
