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What exactly is HHW, and why isn’t it mingling anymore? By Diane McDilda In the beginning—well not the beginning, but when solid waste first became regulated—fertilizer mingled with last night’s dinner, and fluorescent light bulbs shattered over cans of paint and television sets. Now, these items (last night’s dinner aside) are commonly referred to as household hazardous wastes (HHW) and are either pulled by the wayside or eliminated from the wastestream all together before it rolls off to the landfill. It’s become a costly process, another line item in the municipality’s budget, but it is a price the public seems willing to pay and one that industry, and consumers, may be funding in the future. The EPA defines a material to be hazardous when one or more of its ingredients makes it flammable or ignitable, explosive or reactive, corrosive, toxic, or radioactive. Overall, they are materials that because of their characteristics are inherently dangerous to workers and the environment. Initially, the definition referred to large-quantity generators as they were deemed the most threatening. But around the house, the EPA’s criterion applies to common items such as toilet cleaners, pool chemicals, fuel additives, and lighter fluid. It’s estimated that Americans generate approximately 1.6 million tons of HHW a year. To encourage safer handling and disposal of these household items, EPA created a subset of wastes to allow a more streamlined approach and avoid the complications of dealing with an official hazardous waste. In 1993, the first list of universal wastes was born, and it included batteries, pesticides, and thermostats. Since then the list’s been expanded. In 1999 lamps, including fluorescent, neon, and metal halide lamps, were added. And in 2005 all mercury-containing equipment, such as barometers and mercury switches, joined the group (mercury-containing thermostats and light bulbs were already listed). While these wastes are officially designated by the EPA, individual states can list additional items they deem hazardous. Today municipalities all over the country have set up shop and allow residents a place to drop off their toxic outcasts. The number of HHW centers jumped from zero in the 1980s to over 3,000 by the late 1990s. Professionals in the industry are hesitant to apply an exact percentage when it comes to determining public participation rates. Numbers gathered from 25 different programs across the US as part of a study performed by Cascadia Consulting Group showed, when compared to the number of households, participation can range any where from two to 24%. Kurt Seaburg, hazardous waste coordinator for Alachua County, FL, doesn’t believe that participation numbers are always accurate and isn’t sure of the relevance. With convenient curbside recycling rates only reaching 35%, it’s not expected that a service requiring residents to load their cars and drive to a facility would even come close. Alachua County’s program includes one permanent HHW-dedicated facility and five HHW drop-off areas at rural solid waste collection centers, or satellite centers, where residents who aren’t on a curbside collection route can drop off their HHW along with their household garbage. But unlike the permanent HHW facility where cars and their contents are logged, there’s no specific data gathered at the satellite centers with respect to which car brings in what waste, it’s estimated. “Numbers don’t fit,” says Seaburg. “Every program counts differently.” Regardless of what the participation numbers show, Seaburg has seen an increase in sheer volume of HHW. “We used to pick up from the satellite centers once a month; now it’s once a week. If we don’t make it out there, things like paint are everywhere.” Some in the HHW and universal waste business believe some of the credit for improving awareness if not participation may go to movies like An Inconvenient Truth that propelled global warming and other environmental issues to the headlines. But the topic has moved beyond politics with cars displaying “W” stickers side-by-side with patrons clad in irreverent “Stewart-Colbert 08” T-shirts stepping up or driving through to turn over their HHW. Getting the Word Out “Half of the residents here go to drop-off centers to dispose of everything,” explains David. “It’s cheaper for them than curbside, and they can drop of their waste on the way to the soccer field. We can accept all universal waste at the drop-off centers.” This means residents don’t have to make a separate trip solely for HHW. The cooperative also sponsors mass collections twice a year and encourages vendors to attend. “It’s a fall and spring cleanup where people can load up their cars and make one stop. We have Goodwill here and recycling vendors. We try to keep it easy and convenient.” Regardless of how residents come to know about the facility, how they’re treated once there will likely be the key to whether or not they return. And while 100% satisfaction may not be guaranteed, any lip service from residents should be positive. Jim Quinlin is the Hazardous Waste Program manager for the metro area of Portland, OR, and says that interacting with those coming to the facility is important. “Our staff is very good at interacting, and our lines are short.” Quinlin uses a variety of means to get visitors to his facility. “Handing out brochures doesn’t always do the trick. We go into the schools. And we have a hotline that 100,000 people called last year.” Beyond encouraging people to visit their facility and properly manage their waste, Quinlin and his group also discourage people from purchasing hazardous materials in the first place. “We have a natural gardener’s workshop, where we educate residents on non- and less-hazardous options. Letting them know there are a variety of alternatives is a critical element.” Polk County, FL, uses a variety of methods to advertise its services. Edward Sparks, HHW manager for the county, relies on his contacts with the local newspaper and its environmental writer. The county also runs PGTV, a government access channel that provides the HHW facility with air time for its announcements. Sparks doesn’t routinely calculate the participation rate, but performed a quick calculation comparing the numbers. “About 6,000 people come to the facility a year,” says Sparks. “Polk County has a population of about 530,000 homes and about 225,000 households. So that’s about 1% of the population and about 2% of the households.” While the numbers seem low, there’s no way to factor in how much HHW is actually produced by each individual or each household in any given year. Pharm Waste and Other Problems Reverse distribution means utilizing the distribution networks manufacturers and retailers have in place to collect, not just distribute, their merchandise. It’s a common theme for all those responsible for handling hazardous materials as the variety of wastes collected at HHW facilities continues to expand. What started with pesticides and batteries now includes other items not specifically deemed universal wastes, but discards residents don’t feel comfortable putting in their curbside collection can, like medicines, light bulbs, and electronics. Disposal of unused medicines has become an issue with HHW facilities as more information is released regarding the persistence of pharmaceuticals in the environment particularly in receiving waters of wastewater treatment plant effluent. HHW facilities like those in Portland, OR, and Alachua County, FL, accept pharmaceuticals but others such as the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency (CRERPA) Household Hazardous Waste Facility do not. “We don’t take any medical waste at all,” says Janice Ehlemeyer, recycling coordinator for CRERPA. “People with diabetes call us and they have needles to dispose of. Most of them work with their doctors and drug stores to return needles and other pharmaceuticals.” Because pharmacies are already set up to handle their own pharmaceutical waste, using reverse distribution is more common for this component of the wastestream. Customers can purchase return packaging for shipping their unused medicine or needles, or they can be returned to the stores. The State of Washington is running a small pilot program to encourage pharmacies to accept unwanted medications. “There currently is no requirement to have reverse distribution or take-back of waste medicines in Washington,” explains Emma Johnson, with the Washington State Department of Ecology. “We do have regulations that allow pharmacies and hospitals that distribute pharmaceuticals to act as product take-back locations and thus do not need a hazardous waste or solid waste permit.” A product take-back center is defined as a retail outlet or distributor that accepts household hazardous waste of comparable types as the products offered for sale or distributed at that outlet. By encouraging the participation of industry, Washington is reducing the effort needed to address one component of the state’s household hazardous waste. After pharmaceuticals, Sparks see compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) as his biggest problem. “The tubes aren’t a problem. We grind them and pack in bulk and send them to an outfit in Sarasota. CFLs have to be packed up and sent out.” CFL bulbs contain about 5 milligrams of mercury, a small amount when compared to thermometers and thermostats, which range from 500 to 3,000 milligrams, but storing them can be inconvenient and handling them costly. Drum-top bulb crushers pulverize older-type fluorescent tubes while containing mercury dispersed during the process. However, this equipment is not suitable for the various sizes of CFLs. At HHW facilities, CFL bulbs are generally stored or packed to avoid breaking prior to being sent off to a recycler. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the cost to store, pack, and ship CFLs breaks down to about $0.50 a bulb. While the majority of HHW facilities are readily equipped to handle chemicals such as acids, bases, oxidizers, aerosols, batteries, mercury products, paint, pesticides, propane cylinders, bulbs, and solvents brought to their facility, some facilities are limited by available space. The EPA estimates that approximately 2 million tons of e-waste is now generated in the US every year. With the waste comes the potential to release lead, cadmium, and mercury into the environment. Not only are there more types of electrical gear out on the market, but the lifespan of this equipment is relatively short. When they can’t be reused, they’re likely disposed of in a landfill or recycled for their metallic parts. “It used to be that systems like computers lasted 10 years,” says David. “Now people think they last one to three years, not because they’re broken, but because they’re outdated. They can’t handle the larger software programs, and most people don’t want to upgrade because the computers are so disposable. We work with a lot of non-profits who know what to look for and what can be reused. Some people don’t need cutting-edge technology and refurbishing works just fine.” For computers that can’t be or just aren’t reused, states like Maine mandate that e-waste be recycled, rather than disposed of, and they require manufacturers to bear the burden. To help fund the process of collecting and handling e-waste, state law requires that all manufacturers be responsible for the “covered electronic devices” containing a cathode ray tube (CRT) they produce. To participate in the program municipalities must make sure that televisions, monitors, and other equipment are delivered to a consolidation center within the state. The consolidation center then counts up the number of devices, by brand, and invoices the manufacturer. Rates charged to the manufacturers are as much as $0.48 per pound. “Maine isn’t making any money,” says Carole Cifrino, with Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection. “It only pays for transportation to the recycling facility and accounting; it doesn’t pay for any operation.” It’s common for e-waste to be shipped from the West Coast of the US to China and India where labor is cheap and equipment can be dismantled for resale of copper and other metals. Because of the high volume of e-waste recycled in New England, it’s not shipped across the county or the globe. The recycling center used by Maine to dismantle devices is the Uniwaste Services plant located in Portsmouth, NH.
Industry and Legislation “The real key with product stewardship is to give manufacturers the responsibility for managing their products,” says Scott Cassel, executive director of PSI. “They’ll find that the most effective way to dispose of products. It will likely include design improvements to ease end-of-life disposal too.” But getting all manufacturers on board will likely require legislation. “Some leaders within an industry are willing to collect products or pay a fee, as long as others do too,” Cassel says. “Everyone agrees, voluntary programs can work, but if companies are not bound legally there will always be some that won’t abide it. If industry comes together to help design legislation they can make sure it’s fair.” Leveling the playing field for all those involved will only come through legislation and the most effective legislation will be based on industry consensus. In a recent forum in San Francisco, Cassel noted that the US may be ready for changes. “We’re at the tipping point because consumers are interested and have a desire to take action against global warming. Other environmental issues have gained importance and are being noticed. Holding manufacturers and retailers accountable make the most cost-effective systems.” Across the US, programs for handling HHW vary from state to state and businesses to business. After running a pilot program in Seattle, WA, for two years, Staples Inc. decided to go national with its e-waste recycling program. The stores in the US and Canada now accept computers and monitors for a fee of $10 each and will take smaller items such as cell phones and pagers for free. While the Staples program and others like it are considered a step in the right direction, the electronic industry as a whole is not coming together to form a consensus. This is in contrast to the National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA), which has joined with organizations such as PSI to help educate consumers on estimating the amount of paint needed and the handling of leftover paint. It’s anticipated that the NPCA will work with retailers involving them with take-back programs. With any take-back program, the cost of using retail floor space to store discarded items instead of profitable merchandise makes compromising and finding consensus difficult. For now the onus remains on states and municipalities to come up with a plan for handling their HHW. But it may only take one or two states to make a difference. “My sense is that there are two types of states,” says David Nightingale with the Washington State Department of Ecology. “There are states that are politically able to move legislation through and can move things ahead. Then there are states that either don’t have the staff or the political will.” There are states that can and do and states that either can’t or won’t. Nightingale points to rechargeable batteries for what states can do. “A handful of states passed legislation. Then the industry got involved with putting a national system in place.” The Portable Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA) was involved with drafting the 1995 Universal Waste Rule and administers the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corp. (RBRC), an industry-funded non-profit organization that develops public education systems and recycling programs. In the Meantime All programs that accept state grant money must administer an education program. Programs should not only educate consumers on properly disposing items with warning labels such as “danger” or “poison,” but encourage them to use less toxic alternatives. He recommends consumers visit the National Institute of Health Web site at www.householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov. While Indiana may not pass groundbreaking legislation, the state is making more subtle moves to improve HHW handling. Cities are going to be required to apply for stormwater permits. The permits will require that programs be enacted to encourage proper handling of hazardous materials such as pesticides and not allow them to flow down the storm drain. By way of avoiding the problem, a program will have to address the proper handling and management of HHW. It’s not a direct route, but Boggs hopes it will help the state get a little closer to taking its HHW more seriously. Boggs, like most in the field, appreciates the expense of running effective HHW programs. But he believes it’s a cost citizens are willing to pay. He looks back to 1994 when the first HHW collection program was started up in Indianapolis. Soon the county was getting calls from those living outside of Marion County who wanted to know where they could take their HHW. “We’d have to say there’s not one in your community,” says Boggs. “And we’d recommend they call their county commissioners.” As the demand on HHW programs grew and pressure increased, facilities began popping up across the state. He even cites one county commission election when a candidate failed to garner enough votes to win. His defeat was considered a likely reaction to his fervent opposition of the HHW program. “I encourage politicians to show up during collection events and talk to people,” says Boggs. “Politicians are slow to start up programs because of the cost, but people who use the facilities appreciate them. People are increasingly concerned about the environment.” MSW Diane McDilda is an environmental engineer and technical writer in Gainesville, FL. MSW - November/December 2007
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