How to Determine What Waste is Hazardous En espanol, por favor.

Many wastes produced at home and in the workplace are now considered hazardous. The official definition of a hazardous waste is any material that has the potential to cause harm to persons, animals, or the environment if disposed of incorrectly.

The easiest way to determine if a waste is hazardous is to read the disosal instructions that comes with the material. If the instructions state that disposal in regular trash is permitted, then your waste is not hazardous. For hazardous waste, instructions will usually state that the material must be disposed of in an EPA-certified hazardous waste landfill or be treated by an EPA-certified waste disposal firm. If disposal instructions are not present, the following criteria will generally assist in identifying hazardous waste.

If any of the following are true, the material is hazardous:

• The warnings POISON, TOXIC, FLAMMABLE, EXPLOSIVE, or CORROSIVE appear on the container.
• The warning DO NOT BURN OR INCINERATE appears on the container.
• The material contains strong acids, strong bases, or flammable solvents thinner, and laquers.
• The material would cause injury to persons, animals, or the environment. The following are examples of hazardous waste:
• Used motor oil
• Gasoline
• Paints (except latex), stains, and finishes
• Solvents, thinners
• Old batteries
• Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides - Fertilizer
• Old prescripton medicines
• Any appliance tha contains Freon
• Cleaning supplies

IF IN DOUBT, ASSUME THE WASTE TO BE HAZARDOUS