Disposal & Alternatives
MSU Extension brings knowledge to life!
| Resources |
Hazardous
products line our kitchen, bathroom, basement and garage shelves. Many cleaning
products, solvents and pesticides contain toxic chemicals which can cause
both health and environmental hazards. These include toilet bowl cleaners,
waxes, thinners, insecticides, and many others. Check the label. Those listed
labeled as TOXIC, CORROSIVE, FLAMMABLE or REACTIVE are considered hazardous.
It is important to handle and dispose of hazardous products properly! You can prevent potential health and environmental hazards, such as:
How can we reduce the risks?
Instead of handling and disposing of dangerous household products, we can substitute safer alternatives. Most households already have the safe products we need to have a clean, healthy environment. Please use the following lists to help you develop your own healthy home.
PRODUCT ALTERNATIVES All-purpose cleaner Mix vinegar and salt; Dissolve 4 Tablespoons baking soda in a quart of warm water; Mix 2 Tablespoons Borax in 3 cups water Bleach Use powdered, not liquid bleach. Mix baking soda with water. Copper cleaner Rub with vinegar and salt or half a lemon dipped in salt; apply paste of cream of tartar and lemon juice and wipe off after 5 minutes. De-icer Substitute sand or kitty litter for salt. Drain cleaner Pour 1/2 cup each of washing soda and boiling water down clogged drains; use a plunger or metal snake; flush weekly with boiling water; use a drain strainer. Fabric softener Add 1/2 cup white vinegar or 1/4 cup baking soda to final rinse. Furniture polish Mix 1 part lemon juice or vinegar with 3 parts mineral or olive oil; Mix equal parts mineral oil with lemon oil or Carnuba wax; (Do not melt over open flame) Kitchen odors Place cotton ball soaked in vanilla in fridge or on counter. Sprinkle borax in garbage can. Laundry detergent Use soap flakes, with borax and baking soda. Linoleum floor wax/cleaner Damp mop with Murphy's oil soap; one cup white vinegar to two gallons water to remove grease film; polish with club soda; add skim milk to rinse water for shine. Mildew remover Mixture of lemon juice and salt, white vinegar and salt or borax and water. Oil-based paint Use latex and water-based instead. They don't require thinners and solvents. Oven cleaner Sprinkle on baking soda and water; pour salt on spills while warm, scrub next day; 1/4 cup ammonia placed in the oven overnight; use oven liners. Rug deodorizer Sprinkle baking soda, cornstarch or mixture of 1 part borax to 2 parts corn meal liberally on dry carpet. Wait 15 minutes, then vacuum. Rust stains Wipe with full strength vinegar or lemon juice. Silver polish Soak silver in 1 quart water, 2 Tablespoons baking soda, 1 Tablespoon salt and small piece of aluminum foil; clean with toothpaste and warm water. Spot remover Lemon juice; club soda; immediate cold water; paste of corn meal (or starch) and water. Spray starch Mix 1 Tablespoon corn starch with a pint of cold water in a spray bottle. Tile walls Scrub with a paste of borax and water. Toilet cleaner Brush with baking soda and vinegar, or borax to disinfect. Window cleaner Use 1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart water; wipe with newspapers Wood floor wax/ cleaner For cleaning: half mineral oil and vinegar solution; mineral oil; Murphy's oil. For polishing: 3 parts olive oil with 1 part vinegar; 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice; melt one part Carnuba wax into two parts mineral oil.
| Air fresheners | Ventilate; place box of baking soda in enclosed areas; set out vinegar in open dish; fresh flowers and herbs; add cloves and cinnamon to boiling water, let simmer |
| Deodorants | Roll-ons, creams, sticks, non-aerosol pump type sprays. |
| Disinfectants | Borax and water; 1 Tbs. bleach to 1 gal. warm water; air out bedding; keep bathrooms dry. |
| Hair spray | Setting lotions, gels, non-aerosol pump type sprays. |
| Shaving cream | Brush and shaving soap |
| Ant spray | Pour a line of cream of tartar, red chili pepper, paprika, or dried peppermint where ants enter house. |
| Fertilizers | Use peat moss or compost; use organic fertilizers containing blood or fish meal (high in nitrogen) or bone meal (high in phosphorous). |
| Flea and tick repellent | Feed pets brewers yeast, vitamin B and garlic tablets; sprinkle fennel, rue and rosemary or eucalyptus leaves near pet's sleeping area; Boil rinds from 2 lemons, blend and rub into pet's fur and rinse. |
| Garden pesticides | Use biological controls, such as ladybugs for aphid control; 1/4 cup cayenne pepper in 1 pint water to spray on garden plants. |
| Herbicides | Hand-pull weeds, mulch or cover garden with plastic in fall to prevent weed seed germination; cultivate with a hoe. |
| Insect repellent | Put up screens; wear protective clothing; drink brewer's yeast; plant tansy or marigolds; use lavender oil, "Skin so soft" or some commercial bath oils on your skin. |
| Moth balls | Cedar chips and newspapers; dried lavender, rosemary, mint, or white peppercorns. |
| Pesticides | Apply soapy water to leaves, rinse. |
| Roach spray | Put equal parts borax or baking soda in dish with powdered sugar. Make a trap: smear vaseline around inside rim of jar containing a banana and a ramp with a tongue depressor. |
| Rodent bait | Get a cat or trap; sprinkle chopped bay leaves or cucumber skins around cracks. |
| Slug spray | Put beer in shallow pans or overturn clay pots to lure snails; Collect and remove them. |
How can we safely use hazardous products?
How can dispose of hazardous products?
Genesee County, at the present time, has limited disposal and no storage options for household hazardous wastes. The list below provides the only options for residents to safely dispose of our wastes. In the meantime, please contact your city, township or county officials to support the household hazardous waste collection program and future efforts to handle and/or store our wastes.
1. Use them up according to the directions.
2. Give them away if they are still usable (and not restricted).
3. Recycle old motor oil, antifreeze, car batteries - check the following drop off locations:
5. For information on mercury disposal visit the DEQ website
6. To dispose of explosives or ammunition, contact your local police department
7. Take them to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Next Genesee County Collection! - Saturday May 17th, 2008 See Flyer (PDF)
Two Locations:10 a.m. to 2p.m.
1. Flint - Water Service Center
3310 E. Court Street; Opposite Consumer's Energy between Center and Dort.2. Mundy Township Hall
Mundy Township Hall – 3478 Mundy Avenue , Swartz Creek MI 48473
Enter on Wise Street , off Grand Blanc Road between US-23 & Jennings Road
Genesee County Household Hazardous Waste Collection
The Genesee County Household Hazardous Waste Collection provides residents with an opportunity to properly dispose of old pesticides, cleaners, solvents, fuels, batteries and other chemicals at no cost. Without this program, residents would either pay an average of $100 per person to dispose of their waste properly or dump it in a landfill, where it has the potential to pollute water supplies and create health hazards. Please check back to this page or contact the Recycling Coalition, Health Department or the MSU Extension office for details on the next collection day, and show your support to the sponsors of the program.
Coordinated by the Household Hazardous Waste Consortium of Genesee County, including the Genesee County Health Department, Genesee County Recycling Coalition, MSU Extension, General Motors Environmental Staff in Flint, UAW Local 599.
Major support provided by the Genesee County Commissioners and the City of Flint.
Funding also provided by local municipalities.
Non-hazardous waste storage and removal provided as a contribution by Waste Management, Inc.
Resources For Waste Management:
The following resources can provide information on recycling and waste management:
Companies that offer safe alternative household products:
MSU Extension-Genesee County is part of the statewide Michigan State University Extension system, which is part of the national Cooperative Extension Service and is funded jointly by Michigan State University, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and county government. Local support for the Genesee County Extension office is provided by the taxpayers of Genesee County Government through the Genesee County Board of Commissioners.
Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status.
