Go Greener Tips

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=Rusty paint cans/iStockPhoto height=200 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/the_conscious_consumer/the_conscious_consumer-507745379-1242157872.jpg?ymwc2PBD9ywte0C0 width=300//divpYou know it’s dangerous to throw compact fluorescent light bulbs, medications, and other household hazardous waste into the trash, but it can be hard to figure out what to do with it. /ppIt’s true that in most cases you’ll have to make a special effort to responsibly get rid of these items. But, luckily it’s not all that hard if you’re willing to do a little research and some advance planning./ppThe laws for disposing of a href=http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/hhw.htmhousehold hazardous waste (HHW)/a vary depending on where you live, but here are some general guidelines for some common items:/pullistrongAerosol cans./strong Empty cans can be recycled fairly easily through your curbside program or at your local recycling facility. Partially full cans are harder to get rid of. Don’t try to empty them yourself, a href=http://earth911.com/metal/aerosol-can/tips-for-recycling-aerosol-cans/says Earth911/a. Instead, see if your local recycling or HHW drop-off center will take them. It’s also not a good idea to send pressurized cans (empty or not) to a landfill because they can explode if a fire breaks out./libr /listrongCar stuff. /stronga href=http://www.walmart.com/storeLocator/ca_storefinder.doWal-Mart/a, a href=http://www.autozone.com/autozone/storelocator/storeLocatorMain.jspAutozone/a, a href=http://www.google.com/search?q=jiffy+lube+store+locatorie=utf-8oe=utf-8aq=trls=org.mozilla:en-US:officialclient=firefox-aJiffyLube/a, and a href=http://earth911.com/automotive/motor-oil/others recycle/a used motor oil. Ask if they’ll take your a href=http://earth911.com/automotive/oil-filters/old filters/a back for recycling too. Return dead a href=http://earth911.com/automotive/car-batteries/car batteries/a to the store where you are purchasing a new one and ask if they’ll recycle it. If not, check with your local HHW center./libr /listrongCFLs. /strongIt’s important to properly recycle fluorescent bulbs because they contain a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/70/three-cfl-myths-busted.htmltiny amounts of mercury/a. Drop CFLs off at any a href=http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/index.html?navFlow=3searchRedirect=eco+optionscm_sp=searchredirect-_-eco_options-_-x-_-xHome Depot/a or a href=http://info.ikea-usa.com/StoreLocator/StoreLocator.aspxIkea/a for free recycling. Or a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/cfl/search Earth911/a for other local options./libr /listrongCleaning products. /strongYou can’t recycle them, but that doesn’t mean you should throw them in the trash or pour them down the drain. a href=http://earth911.com/household/household-cleaners/tips-on-proper-disposal-or-greening-cleaning-products/Read the label/a for information on disposal, suggests Darby Hoover at the a href=http://www.nrdc.org/Natural Resources Defense Council/a. You’ll most likely need to bring old products to a HHW center. The same is true for a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/pesticides/pesticides/a and any other chemicals you want to get rid of./libr /listrongMedications. /strongDon’t flush them down the toilet or pour them down the drain because tiny amounts of pharmaceuticals are making their way into our a href=http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org/medications.htmlstreams, rivers, and lakes/a. Your best bet is to find a program that will take back unused medications. Some suggestions: Check with your a href=http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/wyl/regional.htmlocal government/a to see if it’s hosting a collection event. Ask if your pharmacy or a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/HHW collection program/a will accept old prescription drugs. a href=http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200802/?pg=13Costco/a members can bring unwanted medications to one of its pharmacies. Otherwise, a href=http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/16/what-to-do-with-your-old-pharmaceuticals.htmlread these suggestions/a on how to safely throw them in the trash. /libr /listrongPaint. /strongDo your best to make sure it gets used. Give it to a friend. Use ii for primer. Donate it to a charity, such as Habitat for Humanity. If you can’t reuse it, then a href=http://earth911.com/blog/2009/04/20/recycling-mysteries-paint/search Earth911 to see if you can recycle it/a. Otherwise, you might need to a href=http://earth911.com/hazardous/paint/disposal-of-paint/throw dried paint/a in the trash if it’s not against the law in your community. Remove the lid from a latex paint can and let it dry out until it’s completely hard. Take any oil-based paints directly to your household hazardous waste center. /li/ulbr /pemEnvironmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a a href=http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/green/forms/consciousconsumerblog.htmlquestion or suggestion/a for potential use in a future column. Her book,/em Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life emis available on a href=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Green%2C%20Greener%2C%20Greenest%3A%20A%20Practical%20Guide%20to%20Making%20Eco-Smart%20Choices%20a%20Part%20of%20Your%20Life:3005209514;_ylt=AsLkIJyzfMD4G3Gl2OYYt_gbFt0A?clink=dmps/lori_bongiorno/ctx=mid:1,pid:3005209514,pdid:1,pos:1,spc:14489115,date:20081009,srch:kw,x:Yahoo! Shopping/a and a href=http://www.amazon.com/Green-Greener-Greenest-Practical-Eco-Smart/dp/0399534032/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8s=booksqid=1228865081sr=8-1Amazon.com/a./em/p

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