Controlling the Cost of Household Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal

In the recent past, household hazardous waste has become an issue to more and more communities. In an effort to control the pollution generated within a household, various methods have been set forth in col­ lecting and disposing of these wastes. Unfortunately, all too often the hazardous waste collection days are poorly attended, and the costs become prohibitive when measured against the amount of pollution prevented. This paper is intended to highlight the means of max­ imizing the amount of pollution prevented while min­ imizing the associated costs. Successful household hazardous waste collection programs require specific effort in the following four (4) areas: (a) Public awareness. (b) Collection. (c) Decommissioning. (d) Disposal. All four (4) are extremely important; however, they are often handled on an individual basis which causes an increase in cost. To see how these four (4) major sections interact, they have all been addressed in this paper.