While decluttering your home can be a great feeling, hazardous waste can make it difficult. Since they can’t be thrown away or poured down the sink, these household products can gather in basements, attics, and garages for years. If you’ve amassed such a collection, it’s time to deal with it. In this article, we’ll go over common types of hazardous products, what your disposal options are, and how NEDT can help—including by coming right to your door.
What Products Are Hazardous Waste?
While there are many types of household hazardous products, there are three major categories that the majority of home-based hazardous waste fit into.
- Household Chemicals: This includes everything from cleaning chemicals like bleach and drain cleaner all the way to pesticides and herbicides. Review the warning labels on the back of products to see if they can be disposed of at home.
- VOC-Containing Products: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produce toxic gases that require the use of a mask or a well-ventilated area. Many solvents and oil-based products, like paint thinners, oil-based paint, and gasoline contain these compounds.
- Electronics & Mercury: Old electronic products, sometimes referred to as e-waste, can’t be thrown away. This includes old CRT monitors, some batteries, and mercury and other heavy metal-containing products, such as fluorescent light bulbs.
Of course, these categories aren’t exhaustive. Check out the What We Accept page for a full list, along with non-hazardous products, like latex paint, that can’t be disposed of at home in large quantities. Not sure what you have? Take our quiz to find out!
Your Disposal Options for Hazardous Products
Depending on where you live, you’ll have multiple disposal options available to you. A good place to start is your city and board of health websites. Massachusetts residents can use the Mass.gov List of City and Town Websites and NACCHO List of Boards of Health (MA) to find their options. There are also donation and charity programs that accept usable products like TVs: find out more about them here. If there isn’t a disposal facility, event, or program for your products, NEDT has multiple collection centers and a pick-up service; see below.
For more information on disposal options, check out our blog, What Are My Options for Disposing of Household Products?
NEDT’s Hazardous Waste Pick-Up Service
NEDT provides a pick-up service for MA residents dealing with hazardous household products–perfect for those who don’t have the time or have large quantities of waste! Just head over to our pick-up page, fill out our form or call us, and we’ll schedule the pick-up!
At NEDT’s Household Hazardous Products Collection Centers, we believe that household hazardous waste shouldn’t be difficult—and neither should decluttering your home. If you need help and aren’t finding the right opportunities to get rid of hazardous products from your home, you can count on NEDT. Learn what we accept and our locations and times, and make sure to reach out if you have any questions.
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