What happens to our Household Hazardous Waste (motor oil, paint, etc.) after it has been disposed???

Question

What happens to our Household Hazardous Waste (motor oil, paint, etc.) after it has been disposed???

Answer 1

If you throw it into the trash, then it will make its way to your city/county landfill.  These are typically not designed to accept large quantities of hazardous materials.  This is why the trashmen will sometimes leave household hazardous materials on the curbside if you did not conceal them carefully.

Landfills today have to be designed to certain standards to withstand small hits due to household wastes.  Although it is better to take your wastes to a waste amnesty day for proper disposal, sometimes you can do so without adverse impact.