from Consumer Reports - GreenerChoices.org
It’s no secret that recycling can save resources and reduce the need for landfill space. But it can also be an important way to reduce toxins in the environment. By recycling the products on the list below, you can help keep the chemicals they contain out of our landfills, water, and air and make them available for new products.
WHAT TO RECYCLE & WHERE
ANTIFREEZE: Chemicals commonly used to make antifreeze include ethylene glycol or its less toxic relative, propylene glycol. Regardless of which active ingredient is used, waste antifreeze also contains heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and chromium. Dumping antifreeze can cause serious water quality problems and be harmful to people and animals, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Where to recycle: Many state laws regulate the proper disposal of antifreeze. Check Earth911 or call the group toll-free at 1-800-CLEANUP for recycling and disposal options in your area.
BATTERIES: The heavy metals and other chemicals batteries contain can contaminate the environment if they’re not disposed of properly. Here are three common types and where to recycle them:
• ALKALINES: While the zinc and manganese in these batteries are generally considered safe during normal use and disposal, the battery’s corrosive electrolyte solution, potassium hydroxide, is a hazardous chemical that can cause severe burns if it comes into contact with skin or eyes.
Where to recycle: In some places, including the European Union and the State of California, alkalines must be recycled or taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility. Check Earth911 or call the group toll-free at 1-800-CLEANUP for recycling and disposal options in your area.
• CAR BATTERIES: Lead is found in car batteries, along with acid. Both substances are considered extremely toxic.
Where to recycle: Most states have laws requiring batteries to be recycled. To see the battery recycling details for your state, visit Battery Council International. Some installers may take used batteries even if they didn’t sell you a new one.
• RECHARGEABLES: Rechargeable batteries contain heavy metals, such as cadmium in nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries, which by law are supposed to be labeled with the phrase “Battery must be recycled or disposed of properly.”
Where to recycle: The industry-sponsored Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation has established a national recycling program in partnership with electronics retailers, including Home Depot, Staples and Target. For recycling options in your area, check the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.
COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHTBULBS: CFLs typically contain about 5 milligrams or less of mercury, a neurotoxin that can be released into the environment if the bulbs are landfilled.
Where to recycle: Bring spent, unbroken CFLs to a retailer that recycles them for free, such as Home Depot or Ikea. Ace Hardware also collects the bulbs at select locations. You can also search for recyclers on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lightbulb recycling site, or check whether you have a local household hazardous waste collection site that recycles them. Find out what to do if a bulb breaks.
ELECTRONICS: Keeping electronics products out of landfills is important, since some contain toxic materials, including lead, cadmium, and mercury that can leak into the soil and ground water. TVs with cathode ray tubes (CRTs), for example, contain four to eight pounds of lead on average.
Where to recycle: For tips on how and where to responsibly recycle, visit our Electronics Recycling & Reuse Center which covers computers, cell phones, TVs, and other electronics.
MOTOR OIL: Used oil contains many toxic ingredients that are generated during engine combustion. Toxics include metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are carcinogenic and cause harm if discarded into landfills or in the environment.
Where to recycle: State laws require motor oil to be discarded properly, and most state, county, or community recycling centers will collect used motor oil. Many states also require or encourage service stations, motor oil retailers, quick lube centers, or auto dealerships to do likewise. Check Earth911 or call the group toll-free at 1-800-CLEANUP for recycling and disposal options in your area.
Note that oil filters contain toxic ingredients found in used oil. If you are changing your own oil filter, see if your local recycling facility, gas station, auto parts store, quick lube shop or auto dealer will take your used oil filter. You can also check Earth911 or call the group toll-free at 1-800-CLEANUP for recycling and disposal options in your area. If you cannot locate any, drain the filter thoroughly, dispose of the used oil properly (see above), wrap the filter in newspaper, seal it in plastic, and then throw it away.
PAINT: Lead may be in paint made before 1978, and mercury may be in paint made before 1991. In general, oil-based paint is considered more hazardous than water-based paint because the solvents and resins used to make it are toxic and flammable.
Where to recycle: Water-based, or latex, paint can be recycled into new paint or it can even be used to create nonpaint products such as cement. Oil-based, or alkyd, paint is usually used for fuel blending—meaning it’s burned to create energy at a power plant. Check Earth911 or call the group toll-free at 1-800-CLEANUP for recycling and disposal options in your area, or find out whether you have a local household hazardous waste collection site that collects paint.
For more information on household products that contain toxins, visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s site on Household Hazardous Waste or use our Toxics search.
RELATED LINKS
Electronics Reuse & Recycling Center
