Improper Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste: Landfill/Municipal Wastewater… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81845

they use. In Figure 1, the disposal trend of households in the UK is presented after a survey with 400 respondents was carried out. One can observe that the predominant method for disposing HHW in households is into the garbage in spite of the toxicity level. A large portion of photochemicals and pharmaceuticals are discarded down the drain with little regard for the compounds that they contain and the consequences for this mode of disposal [4].

Since information about the impact of HHW on the environment is not exhaustive and data relating to disposal are not well known, the potential impact of each of these products in the environment and health is considered as well as the amount that is approximately generated by households where available.

On the other hand, Figure 2 shows a similar study conducted by Statistics Canada in 2009 with over 3800 respondents. While the garbage is still a significant disposal route for HHW, more households reported utilizing drop-off centers and returning products to suppliers and retailers [5].

Figure 1. Usual HHW disposal regime of UK households [3].

Figure 2. Usual disposal routes in Canadian households (source: Statistics Canada).
