Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is any product in your home or garage with a warning label that says the product is flammable, corrosive, poisonous, or an irritant. This includes paint and paint thinners, nail polish/remover, household cleaners and disinfectants, fertilizers, hair dyes, pool chemicals and batteries. When these items are improperly disposed of, they pollute our environment and threaten our health.

How do you dispose of HHW?

HHW cannot be thrown in the regular trash. You have to take it to a licensed HHW roundup, where trained professionals will deal with it in the safest possible way. Every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (unless otherwise noted), a roundup is held somewhere within Los Angeles County. For more information, call 1 (888) CLEAN-LA, or visit their website at www.888CleanLA.com . If you’re not in LA, you can call 800 CLEAN UP for a site near you.

Cleaner alternatives

Instead of buying chemicals, you can try to find a greener alternative. Do some internet research, or check with your local Department of Public Works. If you have to use a toxin, use it sparingly, and buy only the amount you need. Here are some homemade alternatives to common HHW products:

Grease: To remove grease, use full-strength vinegar plus salt.

Sinks and counters: Use borax to remove spots on counters. Use vinegar mixed with warm water and salt to clean sinks and counter tops.

Ovens and grills: Clean and remove rust from tools with a pumice stick.

All-purpose cleaner: 1 gallon of hot water mixed with ¼ cup of vinegar can replace ammonia or chlorine. Instead of a scouring pad, which contains both phosphorous and chlorine, try Bon Ami.

Toilet bowls and floors: Use a paste of borax and lemon juice; scrub with a stiff brush, or use a mixture of 2-3 teaspoons each of borax and liquid dish soap in 2 quarts of hot water to clean floors and toilets.

Bathroom cleaner: Try baking soda when scrubbing surfaces clean and wipe surfaces with a mixture of ¼ cup of vinegar and 1 gallon of hot water.

Mildew: Scrub with a vinegar and salt mixture.

Clean up your HHW

HHW spills and leaks can easily flow into our environment and ocean if left untreated. For spilled motor oil use kitty litter or sand to absorb the oil and then sweep into a container or bag to drop off at a HHW center. Read the instructions on other products to see the best way to clean up spills.

Recycle used motor oil

Call your local recycling center, or Department of Public Works, or bring motor oil to your local auto parts store (they’re licensed to dispose of the waste). Dumping motor oil into a catch basin, or throwing it in the trash, is illegal. Motor oil is incredibly toxic, and disposing of it improperly can seriously contaminate our oceans, and landfills. Check out www.ciwmb.ca.gov/usedoil for more information.