Hazardous Chemicals

The garage is often filled with strong detergents, solvents, oil and paint, all of which may be “needed” for the maintenance of the house and the family car. Often half empty containers are stored for decades on open shelves, only to be thrown away later. This creates a fire hazard. It is best to get rid of all chemicals which are not being used, and which will most likely not be used in the future.

However, all these chemicals have to be disposed according to local law and regulations and never thrown away with the ordinary household waste. Very often these chemicals are toxic for the environment. For instance, detergents released into the environment can do enormous harm. They do not simply disappear in the sink or in the garbage they eventually end up in the ocean or in the local groundwater supply.

The garbage facilities* and Efna Waste Disposal & Recycling, dispose of toxic chemicals in the appropriate way.

The chemicals continue to be active and can damage the environment for a long time. Even though a chemical eventually may decompose, it can take a long time. Also the decomposed product can be even more toxic than the source chemicals. It is safest to avoid the use of unnecessary chemicals and to use ecologically friendly products whenever possible. Ecological cleaning agents are now available in great variety and many of them carry an environmental label. Chemicals like enzymes are natural proteins which are produced by living bacteria which help the decomposition process of nature itself.

It is also possible to buy environmentally labelled solvents, emulsifiers, pencil soaps, paint and car washing chemicals, just to name a few. Our responsibility as consumers is to choose ecologically benign products. By doing so, we are taking care  of both the Earth and ourselves. When you shop and do not see the ecological products you need, then make it a point to ask if they are available. If everyone does this, then ecological chemicals will be available everywhere soon.

•See locations excepting hazardous waste here on Nature's Recycle Map.