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

Development (OECD), household waste contributes to 67% of 540 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW). The estimated amount of HHW varies considerably due to an unclear definition of what constitutes to household waste as opposed to MSW. In the USA, for the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be HHW. In general, the HHW is a solid, semisolid, or nonaqueous liquid that can cause or significantly contribute to potential hazard to human health or environment when it is improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed. The portion of HHW in MSW has been estimated to be from less than 0.01–3.4% in several studies. The large variability is due to lack of standard definition as to what constitutes HHW, variability in generation, variability in weighing methods, and limited sample size. Nevertheless, 1% by weight is widely accepted as the fraction of HHW in MSW. Because of this small percentage of HHW produced, households are not practically considered to be hazardous waste producers [1]. While HHW represents a relatively small proportion of current urban solid residues, it is the most toxic part of the waste stream.

HHWs in the household waste are often excluded from management as hazardous waste unless collected separately. However, if these waste materials were generated industrially or commercially, they would be subject to strict disposal guidelines. As a result, HHWs are handled the same way as nonhazardous material with no specific regulation or monitoring. Of recent, this mismanagement constitutes a greater problem as the waste stream not only increases in amount but also becomes more diverse with the introduction of more products into the consumer market.

At the source or point of generation, HHW can be placed in the garbage, down the drain, dumped on the ground, or diverted for reuse, energy recovery, or recycle. No matter where HHW is disposed, due to its toxicity as well as municipal treatment facilities that are not equipped to deal with hazardous material, improper management can adversely impact the quality of the environment:


On the other hand, in many third world countries, solid waste management facilities are underdeveloped and sometimes nonexistent. The United Nations reported that between 20 and 80% of all household waste that is generated is often dumped in open spaces, water bodies, drains, and burnt or buried. This creates unsanitary environments leading to health hazards. The portion of HHW in household waste generated by developing countries is much less than in developed countries. The small amount of HHW produced as well as unavailability of funds to direct toward implementing sound practices for waste management has led the United Nations Environment Program to suggest HHW with MSW for disposal in landfills [2]. Regardless of the development level of the country, proper management of HHW can be achieved by understanding the environmental and societal impact of poor practices, HHW contaminants, government legislations, and welldeveloped schemes.
