Household Hazardous Waste: What It Is and Where It Goes

Every garage cleanout turns up a shelf of things that cannot go in the trailer. Here is what they are, why, and what to do with them instead.

What counts

• **Paint, stain, varnish and thinner**, including latex paint with liquid still in the can
• **Solvents, adhesives and strippers**
• **Motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, antifreeze and gasoline**
• **Pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer**
• **Pool chemicals** — chlorine, acid, shock, algaecide
• **Cleaning products** in quantity, particularly oven and drain cleaners
• **Batteries of every type**
• **Propane and other compressed gas cylinders**, including camping canisters
• **Fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs**
• **Thermometers and thermostats** containing mercury
• **Aerosols** with product remaining
• **Medical sharps and unused medication**

Why they are excluded

These materials do not belong in a landfill, they contaminate other loads, and several of them are genuinely dangerous in a compacted or heated container. Propane cylinders and lithium batteries in particular cause fires at transfer stations.

It is not a preference on our part — no facility we haul to will accept them, and a load containing them can be rejected outright.

Where they go

Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties each operate household hazardous waste collection for residents, and several municipalities run periodic collection events.

Check your county's solid waste website for current locations, operating days and any quantity or residency limits. These change, and current information from the source beats anything printed here.

Paint specifically

The most common item by far. A few practical points:

• **Latex paint** that has been fully dried out — lid off, or hardened with an absorbent — is handled differently from liquid paint in most areas. Check your county's current guidance.
• **Oil-based paint, stain and thinner** is hazardous waste regardless of how dry the can looks.
• **Empty, dry cans** with no liquid are usually fine as ordinary metal.
• **Usable paint** can often be donated — community groups, theater programs and reuse centers take it.

Our dedicated guide on paint disposal in Pinellas County goes further.

Transporting it safely

1. 1Keep everything in its original container with the label intact. Unlabeled chemicals are a problem for everyone.
2. 2Never mix products together. Some combinations are dangerous — pool chemicals in particular.
3. 3Secure containers upright in a box or a crate so they cannot tip.
4. 4Transport in a trunk or a truck bed, not the passenger cabin.
5. 5Take it directly to the facility rather than leaving it in a hot car.

Storing it until you can drop it off

A Florida garage gets extremely hot, which is exactly the wrong environment for chemicals and aerosols. Keep them out of direct sun, off the floor in case of water intrusion, and away from anything that generates heat or sparks.

Better still, plan the drop-off before you start the cleanout rather than storing a growing pile for months.

Sort first, load second

Put a box aside at the start of a garage or shed cleanout for anything on this list. Digging a paint can out of a loaded trailer is a bad afternoon.

Everything else — the shelving, the boxes, the old furniture, the general junk — is exactly what the trailer is for. Call (727) 779-8919.