Reader Question: How To Safely Toss Toxic Cleaners
April 7, 2009 by Jennifer
Today’s green question appeared on the post, 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies; a reader asked, “I have some old floor cleaners, wax, ect.. what’s the best way to get rid of it with out hurting the environment?”
First of all you’ll need to know which household cleaners are worth keeping, and which should be tossed. You can read the following post; How many cleaning supplies are under your sink that your child could safely drink? to sort out your chemicals.
Secondly, you don’t want to toss them in the sink. Cleaners can be just as toxic to the environment as paint or other hazardous materials so allowing them into the groundwater system is no good. You need to dispose of them correctly.
WHERE TO DISPOSE OF YOUR ICKY CLEANERS:
Apartment Therapy has a nice informative post up for people who live in large urban areas (i.e. NY, San Fran, etc) – Where to Rid of Your Toxic Household Cleaners but this won’t help if you live elsewhere.
Some other ideas…
- Earth 911 lets you search for recycling centers and household cleaners are included.
- Check with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Their household toxic waste disposal page lists tips for proper use and disposal of waste (like cleaners) and offers ideas about where to drop off these items in your community.
- Your local recycling center is a good place to start. Even if your general recycling center won’t accept old cleaners, they’ll be able to tell you who will.