As the saying goes “If it goes on the ground it goes in the Sound” or your drinking water or favorite swimming hole. We can all find household hazardous waste in our garage or basement and even under the kitchen sink. How we dispose of these products is important to the places we live and all of our health. Chemicals leaching from landfills begin from when you toss hazardous products in the trash. Likewise, material dumped into storm drains or behind a fence trickle in the ground water or head down to the Sound. The array of chemicals finding their way into the water we use and drink and the air we breathe is staggering. We are not completely sure of what all of the impacts on us and our kids, pets or the animals we depend on, but we know it isn’t good. We’re conducting a giant chemistry experiment on our life support system.
If a product packaging has any of these words on the label, then the product has ingredients that contain one or more of the following hazardous characteristics: corrosive, reactive, toxic, flammable, or explosive. If not safely stored, used, or disposed, those items can present hazards to you and your environment.
Below find information on household hazardous waste clean-up days in Connecticut and Westchester and other information on disposal of toxic materials.
E-Waste: There is bad stuff in computers and other eletronics including; monitors, cell phones, printers, and digital cameras. These products should not be disposed of in the trash strem but recycled.
STAPLES the world’s largest office supply retailer offers to take back computers for a $10.00 fee at its 1400 locations nationwide. Recently Staples expanded its recycling program to accept certain other electronic products at no cost.
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE CLEAN-UP DAYS LINKS.
Connecticut:
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&q=325448&depNav_GID=1646
& for unwanted electronic devices such as cell phones or tablets:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/electronicdevicerecycling.jsp
Westchester: