Household Hazardous Wastes—Discard Patterns and Management Options

Abstract

Households discard hazardous products to municipal landfills in rural areas. This paper derives a model to predict discarded quantities of household hazardous products in a rural community in Alberta. The results were used to predict discard rates of hazardous products to the landfill. The predicted rates were compared with the quantities determined by a yearlong waste stream analysis. The model combines purchased and stored‐volume data to predict household hazardous‐waste discards to within 3% of measured quantities. The predictive models are useful to obtain rough estimates of hazardous‐product volumes in municipal refuse streams. The current yearly toxic roundup captures less than 2% of the hazardous‐product weight disposed of in the landfill. To evaluate alternatives to the conventional toxic roundup for household hazardous wastes, several waste‐reduction, collection, and disposal programs are evaluated. An approach of waste reduction through short‐loop reuse combined with an intensified depot‐based collection program is recommended to better serve small‐quantity generators in rural communities.