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What
is a hazardous waste?
In the field of waste management, a
waste is called “hazardous” if it has one or
more of the following properties:
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Flammable/Combustible/Ignitable: Can be easily
set on fire. Examples: gasoline, kerosene, alcohol, oil
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Explosive/Reactive: Can detonate or explode through
exposure to heat, sudden shock, or pressure.
Examples: chlorine, drain cleaner
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Corrosive: Chemical action can burn and destroy
living tissues or other materials when brought in
contact.
Examples: acid from lead-acid batteries
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Toxic: Capable of causing injury or death through
ingestion, inhalation or skin absorption. Some toxic
substances cause cancer, genetic mutations and fetal
harm.
Examples: pesticides, lead, antifreeze, oil.
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You need to know: When
hazardous wastes are combined, their properties can change.
They can often even more hazardous. An example is combining
bleach and ammonia-based cleaners. Never do this – it
can cause an explosion.
You need to know: The above definitions are what agencies
use when they look at funding hazardous waste projects. But
waste doesn’t
need to be classified as “hazardous” to be hazardous to your
health. Honeybucket wastes, unclassified clinic wastes, and
other wastes that attract disease vectors, contain viruses
and bacteria that can be
very hazardous to your health. Handling them properly is still
a must. |
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do we care about hazardous wastes?
 When chemical products are poured
on the ground or thrown into an unlined dump, they can
drain through the soil or flow above-ground . Rain or snow
can carry the toxic chemicals to ground or surface water.
This water could be your drinking water source, a water
source for animals, and a home for fish and marine mammals.
AND
 Almost all of our communities have open dumps where people
throw out their household hazardous wastes with everything
else. So these chemicals can mix together, or be lit on-fire,
outside of our control. A fire with hazardous waste will release
very toxic smoke and often be more difficult to put out. Explosive
reactions from mixed chemicals can injure people at the dump.
AND
Based on our health study in YR 2001, subsistence activities
are being altered based on FEARS ALONE of possible hazardous
waste contamination. This means that if we control our hazardous
wastes and handle them properly, people might start practicing
their subsistence activities more often or be able to return
to their traditional subsistence locations and practices.
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| Starting
A Community Hazardous Waste Program
So what should we do with our
hazardous wastes?? Follow these three steps for starting
a community hazardous waste program…
 Educate your community about
hazardous wastes
The first step to starting a community hazardous
waste program is to educate the people in your community
about hazardous wastes. It is important to let people know of the dangers
associated
with hazardous wastes, and the need to dispose of the wastes
properly.
Educating kids
Teaching our kids about hazardous wastes is
one of the best ways to get the word out about the potential
dangers of hazardous wastes. Go to your school and see
if you can add the study of
hazardous wastes to the topics they teach. .
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Talk about the reason a product is “hazardous” (Using
or disposing the product poses a threat to human health and
the environment). |
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Discuss how to determine which household
products are hazardous (reading warning labels and looking
for words like: poison, toxic, flammable etc.) |
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Talk about why it’s important to protect
the environment from hazardous wastes (subsistence, drinking
water sources etc.). |
Coming soon - check back for a list of
hazardous waste education tools that you can bring to teachers....
Educating the Community
Spread the word about hazardous wastes! Put up flyers around
the community and at the dump/landfill to remind people of
the risks posed by hazardous wastes.
Encourage people to REDUCE the amount of hazardous wastes in the community
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Ask households to purchase less hazardous
products and/or use
less toxic alternatives. Click here on the fan to
see a list of alternatives. |
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Ask businesses and government to use
less toxic alternatives such as using propylene glycol instead
of ethylene glycol for antifreeze. |
 Set up a collection/storage center for hazardous wastes
Pick a good location in
your community that is convenient for people to take their
hazardous wastes. This could be a central place in your community where
access is easy.
Your dump/landfill can be one of the best places if it
is staffed and fenced off during closed hours.
Some communities choose to have drop-off centers that are
open and accessible every day and other communities choose
to have monthly or annual collection
days where an event is  planned
for everyone to bring their hazardous wastes.
Whether you decide to set up a drop-off center or hold
a collection day, the hazardous wastes should be securely stored so
they cannot be easily accessed by children. The storage/collection
center can be simple or fancy depending on your budget. For
information about selecting a good
storage/collection center and to see examples, click on
the blue storage building above.
Once your storage/collection center is set up, get signs up
around the community and at the dump/landfill letting people
know:
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What kind of hazardous wastes are being
collected, |
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Where (and when) they should take their
hazardous wastes, |
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And the importance of not dumping hazardous
wastes on the ground or in waterways. |
 Recycle/ship
out/dispose of hazardous waste properly
Ok so now that you’ve gathered all your hazardous
wastes, what should you DO with them??
Recycle/dispose properly
For information about how to recycle/dispose of different
types of hazardous wastes including used oil, antifreeze, etc., click
here on this recycle symbol 
Ship hazardous wastes out of your community
For information about how to ship out hazardous wastes, including
FREE shipping programs in place, click
here on the ship.
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Safety and hazardous wastes
Emergencies
For emergencies call the Poison Control Center in Alaska at
1 (800) 222 1222.
HAZWOPER Training
Anyone handling hazardous wastes should
have HAZWOPER training. For information about HAZWOPER training click here 
Safety Gear
Anyone handling hazardous wastes should also have proper safety
gear. For information about safety gear and where to purchase
it (as well as spill clean up products), click
to the right on the safety gear.
Household hazardous waste
For information on using household hazardous products safely,
click on the
products below. 
Cleaning up spills
If you have a hazardous waste spill in your community:
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Remove children and pets from the area
where the spill occurred |
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Mark off the area so people don’t come
into contact with the spill |
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Ventilate the area if the spill happened
inside |
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Wear appropriate safety equipment when
cleaning up the spill |
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Contain the spill by soaking it up with absorbents
(you can purchase absorbent pads or use clay-based kitty litter) |
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Put the absorbed material into a plastic bucket
or drum and label it with the date and what’s in it |
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See Safety Gear above for places where you
can purchase spill clean-up products |
See ADEC’s spill response website for more information
about hazardous material spills www.state.ak.us/local/akpages/ENV.CONSERV/spar/index.htm
You can also contact Mike Jaynes
at ADEC at 465-5207.
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Hazardous Waste Funding 
There are many different types of funding for starting or
operating Hazardous Waste Programs.
EPA’s Hazardous Waste Grant
In particular, EPA has a Hazardous Waste Grant Program which
offers capacity building grants for:
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Developing and implementing hazardous
waste activities; |
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Developing Tribal organizational infrastructure; |
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Achieving economic sustainability of tribal
hazardous waste programs; |
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And building partnerships among tribes, federal
agencies, states and local communities. |
Grants given are usually under $75,000. Applications are usually
due sometime in spring. Contact Joe Sarcone, EPA Rural Sanitation
Coordinator, at 271-1316 for further information about
this grant and deadlines.
TASWER’s Hazardous
Substances Investigation Grant
Funding for this grant program is specifically
for the detection of hazardous substances in the environment
on Tribal lands and in Alaska Native Villages.
Funding is limited and is on a first come, first
serve basis. Applications are due on an on-going basis
and are reviewed and funded every three months. Contact: Syed N. Rizvi,
TASWER
202-331-8084 Ext. 223. www.taswer.org
Also,
click here for TASWER's grant proposal.
For other types of potential funding
click here to go to our grants/funding page.
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Hazardous Waste Training
HAZWOPER training
Anyone handling hazardous wastes should have
HAZWOPER training. For information about HAZWOPER training
click here
Department of Environmental
Conservation
Sometimes DEC offers hazardous waste training and may even
be able to train on-site. Trainings may also be offered during
big conferences. Contact:
Deric Marcorelle at DEC
Phone: 907 262-5210 x249
Address: 35390 Kalifornsky Beach Rd. Soldotna, AK 99669
Email: deric_marcorell@dec.state.ak.us
Other training
For further training information click here for our main Training Page
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| Storing hazardous wastes
Click here to take you to our page which
talks about how to properly store hazardous wastes.
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Shipping out hazardous wastes
Click here to take you to our page which
talks about all the ways you can ship hazardous wastes out of your community.
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 Hazardous Waste Program Success Stories
Click here to go to our success story page to read about communities
with successful hazardous waste programs.
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Recycling and disposal information for specific
types of hazardous wastes
For detailed information on specific hazardous
wastes, click on any of the following icons:
For a list of all other products that may
have hazardous impacts, go to EPA Region
5’s hazardous waste webpage. This webpage
contains general information on several different types of
hazardous wastes: www.epa.gov/grtlakes/seahome/housewaste/house/products.htm
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Where can I get additional information about
hazardous waste?
Hazardous waste websites: 
EPA
- Managing Hazardous Waste in Your Community
EPA
- Hazardous Waste; Subtitle C of RCRA
EPA Household Hazardous Waste
EPA
Region 5: Household Waste
EPA
Region 3: Household Waste
EPA Region 10: Household Waste
DEC
Hazardous Wastes
ANHB’s
Rural Alaska Integrated Waste Management Guide
CHEC's
Heal the House
EPA Publications- To order, call: RCRA
Info Hotline (800) 424-9346
Household
Hazardous Waste Management: A Manual for One-Day Community
Collection Programs
Household
Hazardous Waste: Steps to Safe Management. April 1993. EPA 530-F-92-031
Household
Hazardous Waste Reduction. August 1997. EPA-905-F-97-011
EPA:
Hazardous and Solid Waste Publications
EPA:
Catalog of Hazardous And Solid Waste Publications
Managing
Your Hazardous Waste: A Guide for Small Businesses
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Who can I contact about hazardous waste?
The State of Alaska does not have a hazardous
waste program, so federal hazardous waste
regulations apply. The federal program is managed by EPA.
You can contact the following EPA hazardous waste staff with
any questions or for information.
Diane Richardson (907) 271-6329 kocourek.nina@epa.gov
Nina Kocourek (206) 553-6502 richardson.diane@epa.gov
If you have an emergency call 911 or the
Poison Control Center in Alaska at 1 (800) 222 1222.
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