HHW Quick Facts

  • The average household contains 3 to 10 gallons of Household hazardous waste (HHW).
  • HHW accounts for only 2% of residential waste, but causes the majority of pollution problems associated with landfills.
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that Americans generate 1.6 million tons of HHW every year.
  • Over 5 million poisoning exposures occur annually in the U.S., with about 92% occurring at home.
  • Some HHW is poisonous to humans or wildlife, while other HHW can cause cancer, birth defects or other serious medical problems.
  • Check the label. Look for the following signal words: poison, toxic, corrosive, volatile, flammable, inflammable, combustible, explosive, danger, caution, warning, or harmful.
  • Products such as motor oil contain toxic chemicals and metals (hydrocarbons, lead, zinc, arsenic, chromium and cadmium) that can contaminate ground water, drinking water and freshwater wildlife habitats.
  • One gallon of motor oil can contaminate two million gallons of drinking water.
  • Mishandling of gasoline is responsible for over 6,000 residential fires, 500 deaths and nearly $500 million in property damage each year.
  • Garbage collectors and landfill workers can be injured by exploding aerosol cans, splashing chemicals, or poisonous fumes created by mixed chemicals. Chemical reactions can also cause fires in garbage collection trucks.
  • Some HHW can be recycled or used as an energy-saving fuel.


About the NO HAZ Consortium

Many communities in Oakland County have come together to provide residents a safe and environmentally responsible way to dispose of HHW. The Consortium’s goal is to provide regular, reliable and easily accessible HHW collection services to its residents. Residents of any NO HAZ Member Community may participate in any of the HHW Collection Events. For more information, call the NO HAZ hotline at (248) 858-5656 or visit the website at www.nohaz.com