Hazardous Waste - Household Hazardous Waste

Household Hazardous Waste

Main article: Household Hazardous Waste See also: Hazardous waste in the United States

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) (also referred to as domestic hazardous waste) is waste that is generated from residential households. HHW only applies to wastes that are the result of the use of materials that are labeled for and sold for "home use". Wastes generated by a company or at an industrial setting are not HHW.

The following list includes categories often applied to HHW. It is important to note that many of these categories overlap and that many household wastes can fall into multiple categories:

  • Paints and solvents
  • Automotive wastes (used motor oil, antifreeze, etc.)
  • Pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)
  • Mercury-containing wastes (thermometers, switches, fluorescent lighting, etc.)
  • Electronics (computers, televisions, cell phones)
  • Aerosols / Propane cylinders
  • Caustics / Cleaning agents
  • Refrigerant-containing appliances
  • Some specialty Batteries (e.g. lithium, nickel cadmium, or button cell batteries)
  • Ammunition
  • Radioactive waste (some home smoke detectors are classified as radioactive waste because they contain very small amounts of a radioactive isotope of americium - see: Disposing of Smoke Detectors).

Read more about this topic:  Hazardous Waste

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