5 items you shouldn't throw in the trash can

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

You probably know how discarded batteries harm the environment. But besides them, we use other things that need to be disposed of separately.

In everyday life, we often use items that need to be properly disposed of and handed over to special collection points. It would be most convenient to use containers for the collection of hazardous waste, which should be at every site with garbage cans, but so far the situation is far from ideal. Therefore, the sorting and delivery of such items to the collection point remains on the conscience of each thrower.

The list of Order of Rosprirodnadzor dated May 22, 2017 No. 242 (as amended on November 2, 2018) "On approval of the Federal Classification Catalog of Wastes" (registered with the Ministry of Justice of Russia on June 8, 2017 No. 47008) of hazardous waste is constantly updated, and now it contains more than 500 substances. The degree of potential harm of such garbage depends on its explosiveness, toxicity, flammability, radioactivity and other indicators.

There are almost 1,500 hazardous waste collection points in Moscow, but very few people use them. Most people are not ready to carry waste to the other side of the city. The lack of information also affects: citizens simply do not know where to turn in, for example, fluorescent light bulbs, and some are not even aware of their dangers.

Let's talk about dangerous household items and what to do with them.

1. Batteries

The battery is harmless as long as its body is intact. Batteries end up in a landfill and burn, rust and release toxic substances and heavy metals. They settle in soil, water, and then pass not only into vegetables and fruits, but even into the meat of domestic animals.

Collecting waste with colleagues is easier than doing it alone. Set up a special box in your office for collecting and storing used batteries. At the end of the year, the collected cargo can be handed over to the collection point.

2. Fluorescent lamps

The so-called fluorescent lamps, or fluorescent lamps, contain mercury, a deadly heavy metal that damages the nervous system, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract and respiratory tract. One compact lamp contains 3–6 mg of mercury, and in a linear ("long") lamp - up to 50 mg.

Such items cannot be thrown into the trash can. If the flask breaks (which is almost inevitable in a conventional solid waste container), the mercury penetrates first into the soil and then into the groundwater.

You can hand over the lamps in the same place as the batteries. The idea of a collective gathering in the office or in the entrance is also fine.

3. Car tires

Tires do not decompose at all and therefore can harm the environment for centuries. When burned, they become a source of toxic substances that are dangerous to nature and human health. There is only one way to recycle used tires: recycling into crumb rubber. Soft coverings for sports and playgrounds are made from it.

Find out about the possibility of returning your tires to the workshop where you service the car. You may even be paid compensation for the raw materials. Also, tires are often taken for disposal in tire shops.

4. Mercury thermometers

Pouring out of a broken thermometer, mercury is divided into small balls and evaporates. Prolonged ingestion of vapors of this substance into the human body, even in small concentrations, can lead to death.

If you broke the thermometer, you need to proceed as follows:

• Get children and pets out of the room.
• If the outside temperature is no higher than 18 degrees, open the windows and leave the doors closed to avoid drafts. If it is too warm outside, you should not open the windows - toxic substances will evaporate faster at high temperatures.
• At the entrance to the room, lay a rag dipped in a solution of soda or potassium permanganate. This must be done so as not to spread the mercury with your feet throughout the apartment. Put on gloves, shoe covers, and a gauze bandage.
• Collect the balls of mercury with a thick cloth soaked in vegetable oil. When the droplets of the substance adhere to the oiled napkin, put it in a glass jar along with the fragments of the thermometer. Close the container tightly with a plastic lid. You can also use a rubber bulb, thick needle syringe, or tape to collect the mercury balls.
• After collecting all the debris and balls, be sure to wash the floor using disinfectants. Do not use a broom or vacuum cleaner.
• Treat the spill of a hazardous substance with a solution of potassium permanganate or bleach. This will oxidize the mercury and render it non-volatile.

To hand over an old thermometer or a jar with collected fragments and balls of mercury, contact the collection points at the SES or the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

5. Batteries

Millions of batteries are thrown away in Russia every year. They contain lead, sulfuric acid and other hazardous elements. Collect such waste separately from other waste, in a specially designated area. It must be equipped with a drip tray to prevent electrolyte spillage.

Car batteries are accepted for recycling by factories. To do this, hand over the old device to the collection point or to the store where you buy the new one. At the same time, sellers often offer a discount on the purchase of a new battery.

Plus, you can earn some money. Type in the search engine "hand over the old battery", "buy batteries". Such ads are very common. Specify what will be priced, weight or capacity, and choose the option that suits you best.

The Greenpeace organization has developed an interactive one where you can see the location of different waste collection points in your city. In addition, hazardous waste is accepted by large retail chains: Media Markt, Eldorado, IKEA, VkusVill, M. Video, Auchan, Leroy Merlin, Lenta.