Municipal waste collection services and landfill sites have restrictions on acceptable waste. But, household owners use hazardous materials as part of their normal daily lives. Landfills
won’t accept products like paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides. Most hazardous products feature clear warning labels such as CAUTION, FLAMMABLE, TOXIC, etc.
Educating communities about reducing their use of hazardous products is critical. Municipalities are also under pressure to offer household hazardous waste (HHW) services. It is important for the community to remove used, discarded or leftover hazardous products from their homes. When not removed, they have the potential to cause injury or become a source of pollution.
EPA considers some leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic as household hazardous waste. Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them.
It aims to protect the environment from the harmful effects of pollution, such as groundwater contamination. These laws also protect workers from exposure to dangerous chemicals. When incompatible chemicals mix, there is the potential for explosion and fire.
Proper household hazardous waste disposal helps prevent such risks. Municipalities have a major role to play in protecting communities from the harmful effects of HHW. But, to do this, they must segregate hazardous waste and store it safely.
Proper Household Hazardous Waste Storage
U.S. Chemical Storage provides safe, segregated storage options for household hazardous waste. Typical HHW buildings have three separate storage rooms. But, like all our buildings, they are completely customizable. To avoid reactivity, facilities can organize products by class of chemical – flammables, combustibles and corrosives. Solid partition walls separate the rooms from each other. Built-in secondary sumps contain spills before they reach the environment.
Depending on your needs, many customization options are available, including fire suppression, climate control, exhaust fans and more. Household hazardous waste buildings are available in 4-hour, 2-hour or non fire-rated constructions. All buildings feature a 15-year structural warranty and a weather resistant epoxy top-coat.
The ability to safely store HHW at a waste processing facility opens the door to recycling initiatives. Common recyclable materials include lead-acid batteries, paint, used oil and anti-freeze. Reports indicate that the global battery recycling market exceeds $8.5 billion. Over 60 percent of that value comes from lead-acid batteries.
Order Your Storage Building for Household Hazardous Waste Today
Help your community remove HHW from their homes, protect the environment and save costs at the same time. Find out more about our household hazardous waste storage building options here.
