
Source: Missouri Household Hazardous Waste Telephone Advice
Manual, April 1994, Household Hazardous Waste Project
Never put liquid wastes into the trash or down
the drain unless instructed to do so by local waste officials. Improperly
disposed of liquid wastes can contaminate our water resources and
the environment. The best way to manage most liquid products is to use them
up or store them for later use. However, if approved by local solid waste
and air quality officials, the following solidification procedure may be
used for small quantities of some products.
A word of caution:
This management option may
cause harm to human health and the environment if the described procedures
are not followed carefully.
Materials Needed
- protective gloves, such as nitrile or chemical-resistant gloves
- bucket or sturdy cardboard box that can be discarded
- stirring stick
- a nonflammable absorbent, such as clay-based cat box filler.
WARNING: Do not use paper-based products
(such as newspapers) as absorbents, because they could spontaneously ignite.
Safety Precautions
- Solidify liquid wastes in well-ventilated areas which are inaccessible
to children and animals. Do not solidify liquid wastes in a basement or inside
the house. If you should feel dizzy or nauseous while solidifying, take a
fresh air break.
- Do not solidify liquid wastes in a garage or shed where there are sources
of heat, spark, flame, or ignition. These sources include water heaters, light
switches, pilot lights and motors. Volatile, reactive or flammable chemicals
can concentrate in an inadequately ventilated room and explode or cause a fire.
- Do not smoke or drink alcoholic beverages while solidifying.
- Avoid inhalation of vapors. If you can smell the product, you are breathing
it, so increase the amount of ventilation in the work area.
- Wear protective gloves to avoid skin contact while handling the product.
Wash hands and any exposed skin after handling.
- NEVER solidify more than one type of liquid waste at a time.
Procedures
- To solidify small quantities of liquid
, such as an inch or two in the bottom
of a can, simply remove the lid, add nonflammable absorbent, and stir until
all of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to dry. Place the dry can and lid along
side or on top of your trash destined for the landfill. Leave the lid off the
can so that the hauler can see that it is dry. Make sure-the liquid waste is
dry and hard, not just absorbed.
- For larger quantities of liquid, mix nonflammable absorbent and the product
in a bucket or sturdy cardboard box lined with a garbage bag and stir. It will
be easier if you pour some absorbent in the bottom of the container and add the
liquid slowly while stirring. Continue to alternate the absorbent and liquid and
stirring. The end product should be similar in texture to the absorbent.
When the liquid is solidified, place the absorbent and container inside a garbage
bag, seal it tightly, and dispose of it in the trash destined for the landfill.
Place the dry can and lid along side or on top of your trash destined for the
landfill. Leave the lid off the can so that the hauler can see that it is dry.