Out with the Household Toxins

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) held a collection for the past 2 weeks for Household Hazardous Wastes right down the road from me, and I took advantage! A few months ago I collected all my cleansers that were deemed household toxins (aka not Earth and people friendly) and boxed them up so I could hike them across town to recycle. I hung on to the boxes for a little while so we could be sure that we weren't going to need them, or change our minds... the last thing I want to do is buy more chemicals! Thanks to the EPA, I only had to drive 3 minutes down the road and they even took the boxes out of the car for me! I dropped off 3 small-medium sized boxes of cleansers, a few petroleum based candles, and a couple of batteries. Feels good to have all those toxins out of our home, not to mention all the cabinet space I've gained!

If you have Hazardous Household Waste (batteries, paint, tires, cleansers, pesticides, etc.) - PLEASE act responsibly and dispose your HHW properly! Improperly disposed HHW can contaminate septic tanks or wastewater treatment systems if poured down drains or toilets, and these in the end lead to our oceans! Not sure where to recycle/dispose your HHW? Go to Recycling Hotline: Earth 911 and simply type in your zip code and what you'd like to recycle - from plastic to household cleaners to mattresses. This hotline helps you locate recycling centers in your community.

Here's an interesting article on Forbes.com: Hidden Household Toxins