What Is Household Hazardous Waste, and How Do You Get Rid of It?

The EPA considers leftover household products that can catch fire, react or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic, to be household hazardous waste. It names paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides as products that can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them.

The EPA says improper disposal can include pouring these products down the drain, on the ground or into storm sewers, or in some cases putting them out with the regular trash, and that it can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health. Household hazardous waste is regulated at the state and local level, and California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control says it is illegal there to dispose of it in the trash, down the drain or by abandonment.

To get rid of it, the EPA says to check with your local environmental, health or solid waste agency, and if your community has no year-round collection, to see whether there are designated days for collecting household hazardous waste at a central location. In Florida, the Department of Environmental Protection says every county has a household hazardous waste program.

Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.

The sources behind this answer

  • Government sourceThe EPA considers leftover household products that can catch fire, react or explode, or that are corrosive or toxic, to be household hazardous waste, naming paints, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides. US EPA ↗
  • Government sourceThe EPA says improper disposal of household hazardous waste includes pouring it down the drain, on the ground or into storm sewers, or sometimes putting it in the regular trash, and can pollute the environment and threaten human health. US EPA ↗
  • Government sourceThe EPA tells people to check with their local environmental, health or solid waste agency, and to look for designated collection days if there is no year-round household hazardous waste collection. US EPA ↗
  • Regulatory filingThe EPA says household hazardous waste is excluded from Subtitle C of RCRA but regulated under Subtitle D as a solid waste, meaning it is regulated at the state and local level. US EPA ↗
  • Government sourceThe Florida Department of Environmental Protection says every county in Florida has a household hazardous waste program. Florida Department of Environmental Protection ↗
  • Regulatory filingCalifornia’s Department of Toxic Substances Control says it is illegal to dispose of household hazardous waste in the trash, down the drain, or by abandonment. California Department of Toxic Substances Control ↗

Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.

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