Everyone loves a clean home, but have you ever wondered what’s in those cleaning products? When people view what we accept, many are surprised to find that common cleaning products, especially heavy-duty cleaners, should not be disposed of at home and need to be brought in. Learn more about why certain cleaning products are hazardous, how to safely use them, and what to do when they are all used up. [Read more…]
Under the Hood: Dealing with Hazardous Waste from Cars
Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to automotive work on your car or just have a few spare bottles of car products for emergencies, chances are you’ve got a container of motor oil, antifreeze, coolant, or other products at home in the garage, maybe even including used oil and oil filters. Much of this is household hazardous waste and can’t be disposed of down the sink or into a garbage can. Learn how to deal with hazardous waste from cars.
Dealing with Used Motor Oil and Oil Filters
Changing your own oil is an easy way to save on automotive expenses and have full freedom of what to put in your car, but you need to handle it safely after use. Motor oil is toxic to animals and plants, including fish, where a quart of oil can contaminate up to a million gallons of water.
- Disposing of Used Motor Oil: Collect oil in a clean container with a screw cap, such as the original container. Return used oil for recycling to the store where you purchased it (they are required by MA law). You can also use the Used Oil Hotline: 617-556-1022.
- Draining Used Oil Filters: If you also replace your own filters, take special care with the used filter: undrained oil filters can contain up to 12 ounces of motor oil. Before disposal, you should drain them: puncture the domed part of the oil filter with a sharp tool and drain, collecting the oil.
Dealing with Automotive Coolant and Antifreeze
For many MA vehicles, their coolant and antifreeze are one-and-the-same, including hybrid brands and 50/50 ratios. Coolant is toxic, and due to its sweet smell and bright color, can be a hazard to both animals and small children. Spent antifreeze may contain metals from the engine, such as lead, zinc, and copper. Spent coolant should be kept in a sealed container and kept out of reach of children and pets.
Before pouring coolant down the drain, you’ll need to get approval from your wastewater treatment facility, as antifreeze can disturb the biological action of sewage treatment and septic systems. Your local service station or repair garage may accept spent antifreeze. Note that even more environmentally friendly propylene glycol may contain the same car pollutants after use and should be disposed of similarly.
Learn more about automotive batteries in our blog, Everything You Need to Know About Hazardous Battery Disposal!
At NEDT, we help New England residents dispose of their household hazardous waste when other options aren’t available or feasible, but we think the first step should always be taking steps at home to be safe. Learn more about dealing with household products with our Fact Sheets. If you’re interested in drop-off or pick-up of hazardous household products, see our locations, contact us online, or call us at 1-866-769-1621.
What Hazardous Materials Are Not Accepted for Disposal?
Here at NEDT, we talk a lot about the kind of materials we accept. But, there are some things we have to turn away at the door and point you to other agencies. From the dangerous to the mundane, below are several categories of the most common types of materials and products that we and most other residential disposal companies won’t or can’t accept.
Explosives
Generally speaking, if it poses an immediate danger to you and those around you, even if safety measures are taken, it won’t be accepted at collection centers. Explosives cover a wide array of products but are commonly:
- Ammunition
- Explosive chemicals and compounds
- Shock sensitive materials
- Flares
Reactive Chemicals and Materials
Reactive chemicals also tend to be restricted if they can undergo sudden state changes (condensation, decomposition, or polymerization), become self-reactive under shock, pressure, or temperature changes, or react vigorously with water to release a lethal gas (like cyanide). This is also why unidentified compressed gas cylinders are not accepted.
Asbestos and Radioactive Materials
If you need special equipment beyond glove and eye protection to handle these substances, chances are they shouldn’t be going to a household hazardous waste company. This includes airborne hazards like asbestos, as well as radioactive materials.
Medical Waste
Biological waste is generally not accepted at NEDT and other collection centers. Examples include used sharps, live culture dishes, and anything contaminated with blood.
Major Appliances (White Goods) Including CFCs
While NEDT accepts electronics, including Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors, they do not accept large appliances – so-called “white goods.” Also, fridges and ACs that contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are not accepted.
Commercial Hazardous Waste & Products
Lastly, businesses cannot bring in their hazardous waste for disposal to one of these disposal centers. Instead, they must follow laws from the EPA and their statewide designated agency to dispose of commercial hazardous waste. NEDT does participate in MA’s VSQG (Very Small Quantity Generator) program. Learn more and if you can apply in this blog, Small Business Hazardous Waste: MA’s VSQG Requirements.
If some of the hazardous waste you want to bring in falls under one of these categories, learn about your options with our Fact Sheets as the MassDEP website. Learn more about what we accept and plan your trip to NEDT’s Household Hazardous Products Collection Centers today. We also provide pick up services: contact us today or call us at 866-769-1621.
Highlight: Westfield NEDT Household Hazardous Products Collection Center
Today we’re highlighting one of our locations, our Westfield NEDT Household Hazardous Productions Collection Center! This is the most eye-catching of our locations from the iconic “batwing” to the gas station-style signage – because it was a gas station! To see the collection center at work, including how we handle and dispose of your household hazardous waste, and its history, read on.
NEDT at Work in Westfield
It may seem small on the outside, but our Westfield location houses a complete suite of tools and storage for all types of hazardous waste we accept. We provide car-side assistance in unloading and handling everything you bring in, so the batwing overhead helps both you and the staff during the often inclement New England weather.
History: The Famous Phillips 66 Batwing
As some of our older clients may have guessed or even seen back in their heyday of the 1960s, our Westfield location is one of the iconic Phillips 66 Gas Stations with the “batwing” roof extension that would cover the now-absent pumps. These gas stations were all over the place, eye-catching and futuristic, with a great sampling on both coasts, which you can see on RoadsideArchitecture.com. We’re even shown as an example on their Massachusetts Gas Station page! If you want to see one in its prime, check out this great photo on Dave Murchie’s Flickr page.
Before we moved in, it had also been an RCA store and a Budget car park. You can scroll through the various Google Maps Street Views to see them all!
Getting to Our Westfield Location
Because we’re located directly off of Route 20, getting to our location is easy! Check our Hours & Directions page for the days and hours of operation. You can also click this link to take you right to directions on Google Maps.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the photography and a little history of our Westfield NEDT location and why we think it’s so special. We hope to see you there so we can help you dispose of hazardous waste from your home. At NEDT, our tagline is “Because Household Hazardous Waste Shouldn’t Be Difficult,” and we stand behind it. Learn more about what you may have at home with our Fact Sheets and Blog, and if you need any assistance or would like to schedule a pick up, contact us.
Storing Gasoline at Home and When to Dispose of It
Whether it’s a can for the mower or a backup container for your car, at some point or another, we’ve all had one of those iconic red containers with some spare gas. However, that useful substance is also a hazardous product, and without properly storing gasoline at home – as well as handling and disposal – you’ll encounter risks to your home, health, and the environment. Learn what you need to know to deal with this hazardous household product.
Handling and Storing Gasoline at Home
It’s important always to remember that as a fuel, gasoline is inherently dangerous to you and your family.
- Gasoline is highly flammable and can be explosive. Store gasoline in approved, air-tight containers well away from children and pets, open flames, and sources of ignition.
- Gas contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs), especially from chemicals like benzene, a known carcinogen. Open in well-ventilated spaces.
- Do not store in your car’s trunk. These containers could break or be under threat of explosion from heat or impact during an accident.
How Gasoline Goes Bad
Like with many household products, gasoline can go bad. This can happen in two ways. First, gasoline can become contaminated, such as moved to an unclean container or left open near other products. Second is that gasoline has a shelf life, about six months for pure gas and three months for ethanol-blended gas (most US gas stations use “E10” gas that contains about 10% ethanol). In either situation, this gas should not be used and must be properly disposed of.
Disposing of Gasoline
Gasoline cannot be disposed of at home and shouldn’t be poured down the drain or thrown into the trash. This includes containers that have contained gasoline. You should also not mix gas with other automotive or chemical waste. Instead, gasoline is a Household Hazardous Product and needs to be disposed of at a community disposal event or a household hazardous waste collection center.
The NEDT Household Hazardous Products Collection Centers are just such a place. We’ve got multiple locations to help New Englanders dispose of gasoline and many other common hazardous products. Learn more about what we accept and educate yourself more on gasoline and other household hazardous products with our Fact Sheets. We also provide pick up services, including contactless services: contact us to learn more.
