Most of the time, we are not that careful about what we put in our trash, but did you know there are some things you should never throw in the trash? There are many reasons for this, from environmental damage to safety hazards.
Yes, most of us know that recyclable items should be stored separately, but usually this is all. We are not aware that some items might also need to be handled with special care.
So, if you want to keep yourself and the planet healthy and safe, you should know about the things you should never put in the same bin as your regular trash.
Check the rules
State and local regulations, as well as the rules of your specific garbage provider, frequently give specific recommendations on what may and cannot be disposed of in the trash that you have at home.
Also, don’t forget about the federal laws. They oversee some things that are restricted—things you should never throw in the trash. Combustible items that contain dangerous materials or endanger individuals or the planet are the focus of the most frequent restrictions.
According to the law, the items that are classified as Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) are the most dangerous ones and are generally household items that can easily catch fire or explode in this way, causing damage to the environment.
1. Paint
It is wonderful that you decided to do some DIY work and that you have painted your house or restored those old chairs. But many times, after projects like these, you might have some paint left. What are you doing with the leftover paint?
Keep in mind that paint is one of the things you should never throw in the trash because it can be extremely harmful to the environment. If not handled with care, it can easily damage both the land and the air. This happens due to the high toxicity of the chemicals in the paint.
Paint that has been used may generally be disposed of at local paint suppliers who participate in the various environmental programs or at non-profit organizations in the community that take care of the environment.
Also, don’t forget to check if you have any services like PaintCare in your area. This is a website where you can see if there are any designated places where you can leave the paint that you are not using anymore.
2. Tires
Do you know why tires are among the things you should never throw in the trash? Tires are some of the items that can be easily recycled, and if you follow this rule and never just put them in the regular trash, your tires can have a whole new life.
Probably they will never be tires again, but there are many uses for the leftover material. Tire-derived fuel is a useful resource that may be used to power a range of facilities. They may also be utilized for an aggregate made from tires, which is useful for road stabilization activities or as a backfill in construction activities.
Also, the ground rubber that remains from used tires can be amazing for various landscape projects. For example, if they need rubber tools on the construction site or even for making rubberized asphalt, your old tires can come in handy.
3. Medical waste
Most of us know that medical waste is for sure one of the things you should never throw in the trash because we see warnings everywhere about this. When we say medical waste, we talk about insulin syringes, used COVID tests, containers that you used for various specimens, and also fabrics and sheets that may have been contaminated by someone who is sick.
Because it can consist of liquids or sharp objects that might endanger public health or the environment, this particular kind of hazardous trash must be handled carefully.
But what can you do when you have this type of waste at home and you don’t know what to do with it? The easiest way to get rid of medical waste is to get in touch with your local county’s solid waste office and talk with them about how you can dispose of this type of waste.
4. Batteries
These are some of the most popular items we have in our homes. Almost any remote control in your home has batteries. Also, many gadgets use batteries. They are everywhere. But once your battery is drained and is not serving its purpose anymore, what are you doing with it?
If you look at a list of things you should never throw in the trash, you will surely find batteries there. You can’t just throw batteries away with all of the other items you don’t want anymore. Lead and cobalt, two of the metals used for manufacturing them, have the potential to be hazardous to the environment if disposed of incorrectly.
If you have batteries that you want to get rid of, you need to know that it is simple to do that. You can dispose of them at your local municipal site, but this is not all of it. Perhaps you’ve noticed that there are designated places in the stores of the big retailers where they collect batteries. If you have a book of dead ones, just take them at the same time you are making groceries.
5. Food scraps
It might be quite surprising to see food scraps on this list. Isn’t’ everybody throwing food in the regular trash can? Isn’t old food supposed to go in the trash? Food scraps are known to contribute significantly to the amount of waste produced by numerous households, and ultimately, this is harmful to the environment.
Food wastes shouldn’t be disposed of in landfills since they produce methane, one of the main greenhouse gases. Instead of ending up in a landfill, food waste can be turned into useful resources like compost, electricity, fuel, and food for livestock.
You can start doing this by purchasing a compost bin that you can keep in your yard. Here you should store all of your food waste, and in time it will turn into compost that you can use in your garden.
As you can see, as surprising as it might seem, food scraps are one of the things you should never throw in the trash.
6. Electronics
We all have electronics in our homes, but not all of us know what to do when we no longer need them. Try to think about how many electronic devices you own. They might be more numerous than you believed in the first place.
Getting rid of electronics that are no longer in use is a complex process, and not everyone can do it. This is why there are certified vendors out there that do exactly this; they help you with the e-waste.
There will be specific sites for towns to accept electronic garbage. Companies that handle larger bulk drop-offs can depend on a network of specialist vendors and organizations that are properly certified to manage and guarantee the material’s recycling.
Also, you can check if the electronics stores in your area accept used gadgets. They might help with disposal for a small fee, or in some cases, they might offer you a discount that you can use to buy something from their store.
So, electronics are some other things you should never throw in the trash, and because of this, you should always take care when disposing of them.
This compost bin can help you dispose of the food waste produced by your household: VIVOSUN Outdoor Tumbling Composter Dual Rotating Batch Compost Bin
Do you know about any other things you should never throw in the trash? Tell us in the comments section!
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