Cleaning Agents

In the garage there are often very strong cleaning agents, solvents, oil and paint for various purposes that concern the household and the car. Many of these chemicals are, in fact no longer necessary and yet these half full chemical containers are often stored for years on open shelves only to be discarded in the end. These chemicals constitute a fire hazard and it is better to dispose of them after using them if you’re sure that they will not be needed in the near future.

When disposing such chemicals it is important to do it in the right manner and not to just drop them into the ordinary garbage container. Usually these chemicals are toxic to the environment and inhaling them can also be detrimental to one’s health. Cleaning agents let loose in the environment can cause extensive damage. The chemicals do not disappear when they drain down the sewer or into the garbage container but eventually end up in the ocean or in the groundwater supply. The chemicals can continue to be active and oxidizing damaging the eco-system for a long, long time. Even if a chemical decomposes in nature the decomposing products can be just as harmful as the original chemical formula.

All garbage and recycling facilities accept such environmentally hazardous chemicals. The Hazardous Waste Depot in Gufunes, Reykjavik takes care of appropriate disposal of such chemicals. The best option is to avoid using toxic cleaning agents when it’s possible to use ecological products.
Ecological cleaning agents now exist in a rich variety and many of those products are environmentally labelled. Chemicals like enzymes are natural proteins that are produced by living microbes which encourage decomposition in nature. There also exists environmentally labelled solvents, emulsifying cleaning agents, pencil soaps, paint and car cleaning agents, just to name a few. The only thing we have to do is to choose the ecologically friendly chemicals. This way we are taking responsibility for ourselves and for the Earth. When you shop and you do not see ecological products for the purpose that you need, ask whether they are available. By doing so, a demand for ecological products in the market will rise and the ecological variety will appear on the market sooner.