Household Hazardous Waste: One-Day Collection Programs
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average U.S. household creates more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste (HHW) a year. HHW may be defined as flammable/combustible, explosive/reactive, corrosive, or toxic household products whose disposal may pose a threat to human health or the environment.
While the EPA regulates hazardous waste generated by industries, Congress has not mandated such oversight of HHW because regulating every household would be impractical for the EPA. Regardless, the EPA has produced a handbook entitled “Household Hazardous Waste Management: A Manual for One-Day Community Collection Programs” to help communities design and run a HHW collection program. Sustainability Officers seeking to develop a HHW drop-off program can refer to this handbook for comprehensive information regarding all aspects of planning, organizing, and publicizing a HHW program (e.g., selecting waste management methods, minimizing liability, funding and cost controls, site selection, and staff training). In addition, the handbook contains useful case studies. It should be noted that this handbook does not provide detailed information about permanent, mobile, and special HHW collection programs or the treatment, disposal, and transport of HHW.
Mechanisms that allow occupants to direct power to devices or adjust devices or systems so that they function within in a pre-determined range (e.g., brightness, temperature).
