Thesis Statement
When entangled in a mishap and discharged in significant quantities, any element or component that threatens people’s health, wellbeing, and possessions is considered a hazardous substance. The remaining unused parts of household products containing toxic chemicals would be referred to as household hazardous waste (HHWs). People cannot throw out these materials with the usual trash. Any item with the labels warning, beware, highly toxic, poisonous, explosive, noxious, reactive, or highly flammable labeled on it should be regarded as potentially dangerous. Therefore, the answer is that yes, if not discarded appropriately, these goods could endanger our health or have significant adverse effects on the environment.
Hazardous trash cannot be disposed of the same way as other garbage. For instance, buried wastes can leach into groundwater by filtering through the earth. Drain drainage systems may be harmed when corrosive substances are flushed down the drain. By combusting them, hazardous wastes are only dispersed across a broader region and released into the atmosphere. Hazardous liquid spills can contaminate the land, vegetation, and water.
Safe HHW Operation
People should always keep an eye on the usage, handling, and removal of products with highly unsafe compounds in their homes to minimize the problems of household hazardous wastes. Pouring HHWs down the drain, dumping them in stormwater drains, or some situations, throwing them out with general trash are all examples of inappropriate dumping. Although the risks of such disposal techniques may not be instantly apparent, incorrect disposal of these wastes can harm human health and the environment. Several HHW types have the potential to cause harm to sanitation workers physically or pollute septic systems or wastewater treatment facilities if they are flushed down drains or toilets. If left lying around the house, they can potentially pose risks to kids and animals.
A few short recommendations for safely handling domestic hazardous waste include avoiding any incidents at one’s residence by considering caution and following all use and disposal guidelines indicated on product labels. One needs to follow the products’ descriptions for disposal instructions to lessen the possibility of items bursting, burning, seeping, merging with other products, or presenting other hazards while being transported to a disposal site. Duly maintaining dangerous items in their proper containers and avoiding removing their distinct labels. However, one must handle rusting containers carefully in case of any leakages. And if one does not know how to go about it, contacting the fire department or the hazardous materials expert in one’s area for directions is highly recommended. Avoidance of combining HHWs with other leftover products, if any, is recommended. Polluted HHW may become unrecyclable due to incompatible effects reacting, igniting, or exploding.
Communicating with the local environmental, health, or solid waste department for further details and guidance on HHW handling alternatives in one’s area need to be an essential measure. To guarantee secure management and disposal of HHWs in the community, if there is not a year-round collection type of organization, one needs to ascertain whether there are any set days for HHW collection at a centralized location. One might be able to drop off specific products at nearby local establishments for recycling or management of waste if the municipality does not have a fixed collection location or designated collection day. For instance, some neighborhood garages might recycle old motor oil; therefore, searching the area is highly suggested. Always dispose of HHW containers carefully because even empty ones might be dangerous due to any remaining chemicals.
Consumers should consider reduced purchases of goods with potentially dangerous components by determining how to meet some everyday household demands using alternate approaches or items that don’t contain harmful substances. One should consider buying ecologically responsible and organic ingredients by searching online for straightforward recipes. They eventually can use the recipes to make their own when they need things like all-purpose household cleaners, restroom cleaners, washing detergent, dishwashing liquid, machine capsules, tablets, defoliants, and insect pests extermination.
Due to technology, microwaves have proved time and time again that they are helpful. That is why they are found in almost every household. Despite being one of the most used kitchen equipment in homes, until recently, we knew little about how microwaves affected the environment. A study by a writer for The Guardian indicated that the electricity usage of microwaves caused the highest environmental impact (Gallego-Schmid et al., 2018). In order to reduce consumption, initiatives should focus on increasing customer awareness and promoting more effective equipment utilization. The quantity of electricity required by microwaves, for instance, can be reduced by adjusting the cooking duration to the type of food needed to be served.
Since meals cook more quickly in the microwave and less energy is used to heat the entire oven chamber, if less time is set, it may be more energy-efficient than traditional cooking. The nutritional content of food is not diminished by microwave heating any more than by standard food preparation. Because microwave ovens may cook faster and without using water, meals cooked in them may retain more of their essential nutrients.
Examining local laws and regulations first before deciding how to get rid of an old microwave is essential. Since microwaves are frequently categorized as electronic garbage (e-waste), they cannot just be thrown in a trashcan or put out with the trash. One can find out if there are any specialized guidelines for microwave disposal by consulting local legislation. One, too, can think about contacting a county or city official if they cannot retrieve relevant information about microwave clearance for their area. The officials ought to be able to provide one with the information they require or point them in the direction of the appropriate source.
An environmentally responsible choice is to bring one’s old microwave oven to an e-waste reclamation facility. Microwave ovens are disassembled at e-waste recycling facilities to identify any components companies can reuse before disposing of them. E-waste recycling facilities take the necessary procedures to recycle and discard outdated electronic components properly, as opposed to certain electronics that are brought to recycling facilities being transferred to foreign nations where locals cannot recycle them appropriately (Gallego-Schmid et al., 2018). One might conduct a fast internet search to uncover nearby facilities if they are unsure where to locate their local e-waste recycling center. One could be able to book a retrieval arrangement with some e-waste recyclers.
HHW Reduction in One’s Home
To influence HHW’s reduced usage, some suggestions to get one going would include using a plumber’s snake or a plunger as a drain cleaner and using one spoonful of vinegar or lime juice in one liter of water as a surface cleaner, especially for glass. One can use one spoonful of citrus juice mixed with one pitcher of natural or vegetable cooking oil to polish upholstery. Carpets should be coarsely applied with sodium bicarbonate and later vacuumed after waiting at least a quarter an hour until desired cleanliness is met. To achieve a gilded polish, bring up three inches of water to a boil in a narrow pan while adding a piece of tinfoil, one teaspoonful of salt, and one teaspoonful of sodium bicarbonate, and this would give the required finish. Boiling for another two to three minutes after completely submerging the silver would remove tarnish using a cloth, and if needed, repeat as necessary. Using white peppery, mints, rosemary, cedar chips, and lavender flowers as air fresheners, keep the washrooms aromatic.
Controlling HHW
While Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates the majority of waste products that are flammable, reactive, corrosive, or toxic in the United States, Congress created an exclusion for home garbage. Wastes produced by typical domestic tasks (such as regular house and yard care) are not considered toxic under such an exemption, which is listed in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 261.4 (Sjöberg & Xu, 2018). Wastes that fall under the domestic hazardous waste exemption must meet two requirements in particular. The waste stream must consist mainly of various waste materials consumers generate in their homes. Humans must produce the muck on partial or full-time residence premises.
Residential buildings, bunkhouses, patrol posts, worker accommodations, campsites, recreation areas, and day-use leisure areas are considered household-like areas under the EPA’s interpretation of this exception. Despite not being under Subtitle C of RCRA, household hazardous waste is nevertheless subject to regulation under Subtitle D of this statute as solid waste. Without a doubt, it can be stated that the state and local governments oversee household hazardous garbage.
Having celebrated World Environmental day recently, it demands global cooperation and radical action to honor, safeguard and rebuild the world. Making the economy and society more inclusive, just, and linked to nature is the solution to this hazard problem. People must switch from damaging to mending the world by working in unison. The best part is that technology and solutions are available and getting more and more affordable. Therefore, everyone should remember that they have only one earth, and keeping it alive is mandatory for their survival too.
References
Gallego-Schmid, A., Mendoza, J. M., & Azapagic, A. (2018). Environmental assessment of microwaves and the effect of European energy efficiency and waste management legislation. Science of The Total Environment, 618, 487–499. Web.
Sjöberg, E., & Xu, J. (2018). An empirical study of US Environmental Federalism: RCRA enforcement from 1998 to 2011. Ecological Economics, 147, 253–263. Web.