Lesson 3 — Activity 2: Handling Hazardous Household Products
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Lesson 3 — Activity 2:
Handling Hazardous Household Products
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Figure 1: Household chemicals. Courtesy of creativecommons.org
Many of the products you buy for your home, yard, and vehicle can be dangerous if you use them incorrectly. What should you do with them when you are finished with them? You need to be careful with these products when using them, and you also need to be careful when disposing of them. In this lesson, you will learn how to safely handle hazardous household products.
When
hazardous household products are not disposed of safely, they can damage
the environment. For example, if you have medicine in your home, it is
possible that someone who takes too much may be poisoned. If you decide
to throw the medicine out when you no longer need it or when the "best
before" date has passed, someone else could use the medicine and become
sick. If you pour the medicine in the sink or flush it down the toilet,
the medicine will eventually make its way into the water supply.
When hazardous household products are not disposed of safely, they can damage the environment. For example, if you have medicine in your home, it is possible that someone who takes too much may be poisoned. If you decide to throw the medicine out when you no longer need it or when the "best before" date has passed, someone else could use the medicine and become sick. If you pour the medicine in the sink or flush it down the toilet, the medicine will eventually make its way into the water supply.
Imagine if all the people in Alberta took one of the hazardous products they have in their home and poured it down the sink. How many chemicals would be mixing together in the water supply? This would not be healthy for our province and its citizens.
Figure 3: Improper disposal of hazardous waste. Pixabay
It is
plain to see that people should not pour hazardous products in the water
system. Chemical products might also cause problems when they are
dumped in a ditch or left in the regular garbage or even when they are
burned.
Figure 3: Improper disposal of hazardous waste. Pixabay
It is plain to see that people should not pour hazardous products in the water system. Chemical products might also cause problems when they are dumped in a ditch or left in the regular garbage or even when they are burned.
So, what can yo do with hazardous products when they are no longer needed?
Here are some suggestions for the safe disposal of hazardous household products:
- Read the label on the product carefully and follow the directions for proper disposal.
- Do not put containers in the garbage unless they are completely empty.
- Reuse products — community groups may appreciate donations of products such as paint.
- Recycle products such as batteries and motor oil at a community recycling depot.
- Contact your community garbage service (your city, town, or county office) for information about the facilities available in your area to get rid of hazardous products.
- Store
products safely until they can be taken to an event such as "Toxic
Round-Up." Many communities hold these events once or twice a year to
help residents dispose of dangerous products safely.
Click here to go to the Alberta Recycling website where you can find out where to recycle hazardous household products in your community! Choose the community that you live in from the drop-down menu or enter your postal code to find out where to recycle.
To avoid the difficulties and potential dangers posed by hazardous household products, look for alternatives that use natural ingredients. You can buy many alternatives to hazardous chemicals that allow you to do the same things with less danger to yourself and the environment.
To avoid the difficulties and potential dangers posed by hazardous household products, look for alternatives that use natural ingredients. You can buy many alternatives to hazardous chemicals that allow you to do the same things with less danger to yourself and the environment.
Click on the Play button below to watch a video that talks more about the purchase, use, and storage of hazardous household materials.
Click on the Play button below to watch a video that talks more about the purchase, use, and storage of hazardous household materials.
Images courtesy of www.imagesgoogle.com