What is Household
Hazardous Waste?
and why do I need to be concerned
about it?
Paints
Garden
Pool &
als
Chemic
able
Flamm
s
Liquid
ttles
Gas Bo
ides &
Pestic
ides
Herbic
scent
Fluore
Tubes
ives
Explos
es
Batteri
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) can harm
the environment and personal health
Many familiar products you use to clean your home, maintain your car or deal with pests can
be hazardous:
Cleaners, disinfectants, hair colours and bleaches, medicines, nail polish and remover.
Drain, window and oven cleaners, silver polishes and floor cleaners.
Pesticides, fertilisers, fungicides and insecticides.
Paint, varnish, chemical strippers, battery fluids, gas cylinders and pool chemicals.
These products have the potential to harm people and the environment, and should not be
disposed of in your normal household wheelie bin or recycling bin.
Identifying Household Hazardous Waste
A substance is hazardous if it:
•
is toxic;
•
can catch fire;
•
reacts or explodes when mixed with other substances;
•
releases dangerous vapours; or
•
is corrosive.
Living with
Less waste
TOXIC products, even in small quantities, can cause poisoning,
injury and death. Repeated exposure can cause life-long health
problems. Look for warnings like:
•
Harmful or fatal if swallowed.
•
Use only in a well-ventilated area (this means fumes are toxic).
•
CAUTION.
FLAMMABLE materials can burn easily, catch fire or explode.
Look for warnings like:
•
Do not use near heat or flame.
•
Combustible.
•
Do not smoke while using this product.
CORROSIVE materials can burn skin, harm your lungs and eat away at other materials.
Look for warnings like:
•
Causes severe burns on contact.
•
Can burn eyes, skin and throat.
REACTIVE materials can react with other substances to produce poisonous fumes or explode.
How to avoid the hazard in Household Hazardous
Waste (HHW)
We need to keep HHW out of the environment. To protect our groundwater, rivers and streams, reservoirs
and our food chain, ensure that you don’t dispose of HHW down drains, on the ground or in your bin.
Here are five simple steps:
A
Assess whether you really need the product.
V
Various safer or less hazardous products often exist –
use these if possible.
O
Only buy small amounts. Make sure you know how much you
need and ONLY buy this amount so no HHW is generated.
I
D
Inform others about creating less HHW and disposing of
waste safely.
Dispose of HHW properly. Don’t dispose of it down drains, on
the ground or in your bin. Store in a safe place until you have
enough to warrant a trip to your local HHW Collection Facility
at Tamala Park or the Recycling Centre Balcatta (see back
page for Council areas covered by this information).
Batteries, fluoros and E – waste are also
HHW products. See back panel for details
on safe disposal.
Thanks to the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council for the
information on these two panels.
Please think
before you throw where will it go?
What are the alternatives?
There are often safer and less expensive alternatives to
products that will become Household Hazardous Waste.
Disposing of HHW correctly
is good for your safety and
minimises environmental risk.
Green Cleaning
Green cleaning costs less and most products have a
wide variety of uses.
•
Bicarb Soda (sodium bicarbonate or baking soda) removes stains, absorbs unpleasant smells,
softens water, polish, relieves itching and can be used as a toothpaste and deodorant.
•
Borax controls insects and is a stain remover, grease solvent, natural deodorant, fabric and water
softener, soap booster, bleach and disinfectant. Note: Borax is poisonous when swallowed and can
also enter the body through broken skin. Take care.
•
Eucalyptus oil is an antiseptic, disinfectant and deodorant. It will freshen a load of washing, remove
grease, gum and stubborn stains from clothes and can be added to wool washes. It will also lift tar
and adhesive material from paintwork and dogs’ paws, and is useful as an insect repellent.
Note: Although natural, eucalyptus oil contains ingredients that are highly toxic when swallowed.
Keep out of reach of children.
•
Lemon juice is a food, mild bleach, deodorant, and cleaning and polishing agent. It will also soften
stains and repel insects.
•
Pure soap is unlikely to cause skin irritations or allergies. It also disperses grease, food residue,
bacteria and all other forms of dirt in water. It can be used in the bathroom, laundry and kitchen,
and as a useful garden spray.
•
White vinegar neutralises grease and soap residues, is an anti-mould agent, mild disinfectant,
bleach and deodorant. It is a good general purpose cleaner.
•
Laundry and kitchen detergents: Look for Biodegradable and Low phosphate or phosphate-free.
Applications
Oven: Spray on vinegar and rub over bicarb, leave for half hour. Wipe off.
Washing the floor: Mix 1 tablespoon eucalyptus oil in hot water and mop.
Toilet bowls and basins: Use white vinegar in a spray bottle. The smell does not stay.
Windows and mirrors: Spray white vinegar and wipe over.
Fridge: Use warm water with vanilla dabbed on a cloth.
Cockroaches: Sprinkle boric acid in their path (available some chemists).
Scale, citrus leaf miner and red spider mite: Blend 500ml vegetable oil with 250 ml liquid soap.
Add 1 tablespoon of this mixture to 1 litre water and spray on all affected areas.
Aphids and soft caterpillars: Blend a handful of hot chilli with 1 tablespoon liquid soap and 1 litre of
hot water. Strain and use as a spray.
For further information read Australian Green Home and Garden by Robin Stewart. Thanks to the
Western Metropolitan Regional Council Earth Carers for supplying the above information.
Safely Disposing of Household Hazardous Waste
It’s important that you don’t dispose of your HHW down drains, on the ground or in your bin.
Permanent Disposal Facilities
TAMALA PARK
1700 Marmion Ave, Mindarie ph: 9306 6303
(7.00am- 4.45pm Tuesday to Sunday, except Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Good Friday)
THE RECYCLING CENTRE BALCATTA
238 Balcatta Rd, Balcatta ph: 9345 8555
(7.30am – 4.00pm, seven days a week except Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Good Friday)
What we accept:
Tamala
Park
Tamala
Park
Balcatta
Ammonium nitrate
Pesticides
Asbestos fencing, sheeting
and cladding
Auto transmission fluid,
Brake fluid
Balcatta
Fluorescent tubes/
CFL globes
Garden chemicals,
pesticides and poisons
Gas bottles
Kerosene
Medicines
Batteries*
Motor oil
Bleach
Corrosives (acids and
alkalis) and flammable solids
Paint
Petrol
E-waste
Pool chemicals
Fire extinguishers
Silver Cleaner
Flammable liquids and
ethylene glycols
Smoke Alarms
Tyres
Fees
Tamala Park
Balcatta
Tyres
Fees apply
Tyres
$8 per tyre
Asbestos
Fees apply
Asbestos
3 sheets maximum
(3 sheets free on last Sunday
of each month)
$1/sheet (Stirling residents)
$2/sheet (non Stirling residents)
HHW (up to 20 litres or 20kg per visit) - free for residents in the region. Fees may apply for those who live
outside the region. Remember to handle your HHW safely when transporting.
What about E-Waste?
E-waste such as old computers, printers, scanners, mp3 players, mobile phones, televisions, CD and
DVD players/recorders, and electronic games and consoles contain materials in plastics and heavy
metals which become poisonous as they break down.
Sending these items to landfill through the normal rubbish collections can be very dangerous.
Many of these components are valuable and can be recycled if disposed of correctly. Take your
e-waste to our facilities at Tamala Park and the Recycling Centre Balcatta.
Temporary HHW Disposal Days
Temporary HHW Disposal Days are also held periodically
across our region and the Perth metropolitan area.
Check www.wastenet.net.au or www.mrc.wa.gov.au for
the latest information.
Battery Recycling
*There are also Battery Bins located throughout the metropolitan
area for the safe disposal of household batteries.
Check www.zerowastewa.com.au for locations.
What is the Mindarie Regional Council?
Mindarie Regional Council is a waste management authority that handles disposal of waste for the Cities
of Joondalup, Perth, Stirling and Wanneroo and the Towns of Cambridge, Victoria Park and Vincent.
WASTE EDUCATION
9306 6348 or 9306 6303
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mrc.wa.gov.au
Also ask us about:
Earth Carers
“The Roaming Recycler” waste education trailer
Free tours of the MRC landfill, Resource Recovery Facility and recycling centres.
Printed on 100% recycled paper