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Hazardous Materials: 5 Easy Steps...
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...To Protect Your Family’s Health and The Environment
1. Buy only latex/water based paint and don’t buy more than you need.
The
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) in oil-based paints cause air
pollution. New latex paints provide equal quality and because they are
water-based, cleanup is easy. Look for “Zero-VOC” paints, which are the
least polluting. Paint is the biggest household waste stream—so buy
only what you need. Bring your leftover paint to the Household
Hazardous Waste Center.
2. Light your barbeque with an electric or chimney starter.
Both
of these alternatives are cheaper, both make lighting a fire easier and
more reliable—and you’ll never run out of lighter fluid. Charcoal
lighter fluid causes air pollution and it is very flammable. Bring your
leftover fluid to the Household Hazardous Waste Center.
3. Replace your mercury thermometers and thermostat.
Buy
a new non-mercury digital thermometer for the medicine cabinet and one
for the kitchen. Replace your mercury thermostat with a programmable
one—you’ll save on heating and cooling costs too! Even a few drops from
a broken thermometer or thermostat can raise mercury air concentrations
in a room to unsafe levels. Bring any mercury-containing items you have
to the Household Hazardous Waste Center (don’t wait for them to break!).
4. Buy environmentally friendly automotive products.
Ask
your mechanic to use re-refined oil and safer propylene glycol
antifreeze. To ensure that you’re getting high-quality re-refined oil,
look for the API Certification seal.
5. Don’t buy another disposable battery.
Buy
rechargeables and start replacing your battery-powered electronics with
products that have integrated rechargeable batteries. When you’re done
with any battery, bring it to the Household Hazardous Waste Center. |
Last updated: Wednesday, 07/01/2009
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20th Anniversary!
The Household Hazardous Waste Center is celebrating 20 years of service – and to make it official, a mural project was unveiled along with a new modular office space made out of used shipping containers. Yes, that’s right, shipping containers.
The mural was designed by Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center artist in residence, Juan Carlos Munoz Hernandez and several Teen Center youth. The intent was to create a flexible art piece to illustrate what comes into the HHW Center from the community, and to create and educational opportunity for the teen painters. It was a success. But don’t take our word for it. Come down and visit the center for yourself.
2500 Michigan Ave. just East of the 10 Freeway at Cloverfield
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