Oct 29 - Don't Throw These In The Trash

Did you know nail polish remover is banned from the trash? How about greeting cards that play music?

It’s common knowledge by now that batteries, paint and poison are banned from the trash, but there are plenty of other every day items that cannot be sent to the landfill. Not only do these items contain chemicals or compounds that contaminate the environment and harm the air, water and possibly our food, they can cause risks to the people handling the trash.

Here’s a partial list of items that are banned from the trash and must be either recycled or disposed of at a collection facility:

Lights, batteries and electronics

Fluorescent lamps/tubes
All batteries
Computer and television monitors
Electronic devices

Items containing mercury

Thermostats
Electronic switches and relays
Thermometers

Household and landscape chemicals

Flammables
Poison
Pesticides/herbicides

Building materials

Asbestos
Treated wood

Automobile related

Antifreeze
Batteries
Motor oil and filters
Tires

Other items

Needles
Sharps
Materials containing PCBs

There are many more items that cannot be disposed in the trash.
Visit CalRecycle’s website to find out more about universal and toxic waste, and to find your local government’s household hazardous waste collection site.


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Lanh Nguyen