Questions:
1. The more I read about using chemicals to clean my home, the more I am
concerned about their safety for my family and the environment … but I still
like a very clean house. Any suggestions?
2. I have some leftover paint from painting our house. How do I dispose of it?
3. When the clerk at the grocery store asks me "paper or plastic?" what should I
say?
4. I have an old mercury thermometer in my medicine cabinet. I want to get rid
of it, but now I hear I can't throw it in the trash. Is that true?
5. I am inundated with junk mail. What a waste of paper. How can I stop it?
6. We just bought a new DVD player to replace our old VHS player. Can I recycle
the old VHS player?
7. Every time my child attends a birthday party for one of their friends I am overwhelmed by the number of new toys, many of which they child already has. How can I have my child still participate in the parties without adding to the waste?
Answers:
Q: The more I read about using chemicals to clean my home, the more I am concerned about their safety for my family and the environment … but I still like a very clean house. Any suggestions?
A: Yes, we have a free copy of The Hazardless Home Handbook, a 35-page booklet that offers an A to Z guide of common hazardous household products and helps you decipher the labels. It also includes suggestions on how to properly dispose of the products and lists nontoxic alternatives. Email
info@ycsw.org or call 503.434.7445 for your free copy.
top
Q: I have some leftover paint from painting our house. How do I dispose of it?
A: Now that the new latex paint no longer contains lead, you can dispose of your leftover hardened paint safely and conveniently in your curbside trash. There are a few steps to follow before disposing of your paint in your curbside trash.
• Allow the paint to dry completely.
• If there is too much paint left in the can to harden quickly, add sawdust or kitty litter and it will absorb it and harden faster. There are also commercial products (such as Waste Paint Hardener by Biowash)
that will have the same effect. Paint hardeners can be purchased at local home
improvement stores.
top
Q: When the clerk at the grocery store asks me "paper or plastic?" what should I say?
A: Paper. Because paper bags are biodegradable, they are preferred. Besides,
they actually hold more weight, make great book covers or wrap for gifts, and
you can toss them into the compost bin. If you do get plastic bags, avoid
throwing them away and re-use them around the house. Better than either paper or
plastic, however, is bringing your own re-usable bags when you grocery shop.
top
Q: I have an old mercury thermometer in my medicine cabinet. I want to get rid of it, but now I hear I can't throw it in the trash. Is that true?
A: Yes. That could contaminate groundwater and just one gram of mercury–the amount in just one or two thermometers– can contaminate a 20-acre lake and make the fish unsafe to eat. Mercury is toxic, stays in the environment for decades and increases in concentration as it moves up the food chain. Even in small quantities, mercury can cause significant health and ecological problems. Take your mercury fever thermometer to a local Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event. Sometimes they offer free trades for safer, digital models. The article
Mercury Rising offers more information
and resources about the dangers of mercury.
top
Q: I am inundated with junk mail. What a waste of paper. How can I stop it?
A: You're right! Can you imagine stuffing a whole tree into your mailbox? That's about how much junk mail is generated each year … about 34 pounds for every man, woman and child in the United States. The articles
Send a ‘Dear John’ Letter To Junk Mail and
No More Junk Mail offer easy and specific
steps you can take to rid your life of junk mail and rid the earth of the waste.
top
Q: We just bought a new DVD player to replace our old VHS player. Can I recycle the old VHS player?
A: Yes (we even have a new term for it, "e-cycling") and please do! Electronics already make up approximately one percent of the municipal solid waste stream and are growing at three times the rate of other municipal waste. Electronics, like your old VHS player, as well as computers, printers and even cell phones should be recycled to help expand the capacity of our landfills and protect our groundwater. Many electronics contain reusable materials, as well as toxic materials. The articles
Recycle Your Electronics and
E-cycle into the Future can tell you
where to e-cycle in your area.
top
Q: Every time my child attends a birthday party for one of their friends I am overwhelmed by the number of new toys, many of which they child already has. How can I have my child still participate in the parties without adding to the waste?
A: You've noticed a growing trend…people buying what they don't need or want. To
make it worse, these toys often have extra packaging to create even more waste.
Thinking of "green gifts" doesn't take too much work…just think in terms of
activities instead of "things"-movie passes, pool passes, a pizza coupon, a day
at a museum … all great "green gifts" that a child would enjoy! You may even
want to talk with other parents and try to encourage them to start the "green
gift" package. The articles
Say Bye, Bye! to Buy,
Buy! and
Trim Your Waste Line offer more tips on how to reduce the amount of
waste your family contributes to the waste stream.
top
Return to main FAQ page
