Frequently Asked Questions About Household Hazardous Waste What is household hazardous waste? Household hazardous wastes are products containing potentially dangerous chemicals that are used in your home, garden,and garage. Cleaning agents, oil-based paint items, pesticides, automobile fluids, pool chemicals, and driveway sealers are a few examples of household hazardous wastes you may have. What harm is caused by improper disposal? These wastes can contribute to water pollution and adversely affect sewage treatment when improperly disposed. Sanitation workers are directly at risk if incompatible wastes accidentally mix in a garbage truck or the landfill. The result could be an explosion or fire. How can I identify hazardous products? Federal law requires that the words danger, warning or caution appear on labels of hazardous products. Other signal words or symbols you can look for on product labels include: toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, combustible, poison. How can I properly dispose of hazardous products? In an effort to prevent environmental contamination and protect human health, Cayuga County provides opportunities for county residents, including City of Auburn residents, to properly dispose of old chemicals and outdated supplies of hazardous products. Everyday Disposal Options exist for: latex paint (pdf file) water based paint (pdf file) motor oil (pdf file) antifreeze (pdf file) automobile batteries (pdf file) lead-acid batteries (pdf file) nickel-cadmium batteries (pdf file) rechargeable batteries (pdf file) For those who cannot wait for the next Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day, due to a pending real estate transaction or other reason, one year round option exists: (The following link does not constitute or imply endorsement or recommendation by Cayuga County. Cayuga County is not responsible for this web site and has no control over content of this web site or information not located on the Cayuga County servers. This link will open a new browser window). Environmental Products and Services, Inc. Can I clean without hazardous chemicals? There are alternative methods or products without hazardous constituents to accomplish a certain cleaning tasks. The links below present a few ideas to get you started (Cayuga County is not responsible for these web sites and has no control over content of these web sites or information not located on the Cayuga County servers. These links will open a new browser window): DEC's Household Hazardous Waste Disposal and Alternatives Chart: DEC's Reduce Your Use flyer EPA's Source Reduction Alternatives Around the Home: Back to the Index Updated June 2, 2006 Return to the Cayuga County Website Return to the Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development Website