Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
Household Hazardous Waste
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is excess products that are flammable, corrosive and toxic. Whether it was bought, inherited or even left for disposal in that new house you rented or own, you came to own it and the City and County of Honolulu (city) provides disposal methods for HHW.
Safety Guidelines
Safe management of HHW starts with you. Store HHW in a cool, dry and a safe place away from children and animals and never remove the label. If there is no label, treat it as a HHW. Lastly, always keep HHW separated from other HHW and never mix products.
Other Alternatives
To avoid all the trouble of how to dispose of leftover HHW, think of ways not to produce it at all. Buy only what you need or don’t buy it at all. Find the eco-friendly/safer alternative to your usual hazardous product that will do the job and can be disposed of easily. Use up the purchased product completely, try adding another coat of paint or do one more deep cleaning using up all those cleaning supplies down to the last drop. Lastly, donate it to a friend, neighbor, or community group that may be able to use it. These are only a few ways to alleviate the trouble of having to dispose of HHW.
Disposal of HHW
Residential households with small quantities of any type of HHW have different disposal options. Depending on the type of material needed to be disposed, residents can flush it down the drain, absorb the fluids and trash, directly trash or schedule a drop-off in one of the city’s HHW drop-off events.
HOW TO DISPOSE | MATERIALS | DISPOSAL TIPS |
|---|---|---|
| Flush Down the Drain | Ammonia Cleaners | Flush down the drain with plenty of water; rinse and throw away empty container in trash can. |
| Put In Trash Can | Auto Repair Products, Non-Rechargable Batteries (Household), Disinfecting Wipes, Disposable Gloves, Fiberglass, Light Bulbs (non-CFL), Medical (Sharps), Shoe Polish, Smoke Detector (Small amounts of Radioactive material), Disposable Face Masks | – Encase medical SHARPS in a rigid screw-top plastic container before disposal. – Close containers securely to prevent spillage, then throw away. |
| Absorb and Put In Trash Can | Brake Fluid, Floor Care Products, Furniture Polish, Grease, Lubricants (for Motors, Tools, Etc.), Oil Products (Motor, Cooking, Etc.), Paint, Primer, Transmission Fluid. Place oil change boxes, sold in local retail stores, in trash container. | – Pour liquid into a plastic bag with absorbent material, such as shredded newspaper, old rags or sawdust. Once liquid is absorbed, seal the bag, then throw away in trash can. Paints can be air dried in the can, then thrown away. |
| Schedule an Appointment to Drop-Off | Materials which present serious health and safety hazards, including pesticides and highly flammable substances like gasoline and kerosene, require special handling. Please schedule an appointment if you need to dispose of the following materials: Acetone, Aluminum Cleaner, Antifreeze, Arsenic, Boric Acid, Chlordane, Compact Fluorescent Bulbs/Tubes (CFLs), Diesel Fuel, DDT, Diazinon, Dieldrin, Disinfectants, Fertilizers, Formaldehyde, Gasoline, Herbicides, Home Perm Solution, Hydrochloric Acid, Insecticides, Kerosene, Lead, Lighter Fluid, Malathion, Mercury, Metal Polish with solvent, Muriatic Acid, Oven Cleaner, Paint Stripper, Paint-Aluminum, Paint-Lead, Paint Thinner, Paraquat, Pentachlorophenol, Paris Green, Photographic Chemicals, Rust Remover, Solvents, Turpentine, Varathane, Window Cleaners, Wood Finish, Wood Preservatives, Wood Stain | – Next Event: Saturday, November 2, 2024; – Registration Deadline: Thursday, October 24, 2024, by close of business day (4:30 p.m.) Drop-off by appointment only. Call (808) 768-3201 to make an appointment or email us at householdhazardouswa@honolulu.gov. When scheduling an appointment, the following information is required: full name, home address, phone number, list of items with container size, and preferred drop off time between 9:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Only registered items, up to 12, will be accepted on the day of the event. The city and/or the city’s contractor reserves the right to deny any waste not registered for the drop-off event. |
