SWAP

Source: Missouri Household Hazardous Waste Telephone Advice Manual, April 1994, Household Hazardous Waste Project

SWAP Menu:

Return to Disposal Guide Menu Disposal Guide Menu © Copyright

From Trash to Treasure

Hazardous products may be toxic, corrosive, explosive, or flammable. Many products used around the home are hazardous and therefore difficult to dispose of properly. If a hazardous product is used up, there is no hazardous waste to dispose. Improper disposal of hazardous wastes poses a threat to our health and the environment. It is better to carefully use up unwanted household hazardous products than to dispose of them in the trash or down the drain. But if you do not wish to use the products or cannot use them, what other options are there besides disposal? One option is to share these products with responsible adults in your neighborhood, church or civic group.

The Stored Waste Abatement Program, or SWAP, links people with usable but unwanted products with others who would use those products.

SWAP does not include pharmaceuticals, industrial or commercial hazardous wastes, radioactive wastes, or banned or restricted pesticides.

As a SWAP coordinator, you will not be handling the product, but will organize the SWAP so that the participants exchange products directly with one another. By volunteering to coordinate a SWAP, you are educating people and helping to protect our environment.

For more information, contact:


Household Hazardous Waste Project (HHWP)
1031 E. Battlefield, Suite 214
Springfield, MO 65807
(417) 889-5000

SWAP Menu


How to Organize a SWAP

1. Educate yourself about the health and environmental problems concerning household hazardous products.

2. Copy the SWAP Home Inventory Form and Home Inventory Instructions provided below. Distribute one to each member of your group. The SWAP Home Inventory Form has safety guidelines to follow while undertaking the inventory of household hazardous products.

3. Inform the members of your group about the problem of household hazardous waste, how SWAP is a part of the solution, and the SWAP procedures. Carefully read aloud to the group members the safety guidelines presented on the SWAP Home Inventory Instructions. Strongly emphasize safe handling, storage and transportation of household hazardous products to the members of your group.

4. Set a specific deadline for accepting the SWAP Home Inventory Forms and a specific time period during which the exchanges may occur. We suggest that the exchange period last no longer than a month in order that the information remains valid. If the interest is great, the SWAP can be repeated.

5. Determine how the members will return the SWAP form to you. Some possibilities include providing a stamp and addressed envelope or collecting the forms at the next meeting.

6. Compile the list of materials available for exchange by the members of the group. There are a variety of ways to complete this list and the best method may depend upon the size of your group. One way is to list every participant's name and phone number and the material they will like to share.

7. Display this list in a prominent place or distribute it to the group members. Those who which to acquire these products can note the name and number of members having products to share.

SWAP Menu


Be Part of SWAP!

Inventory your home for unwanted but usable household hazardous products that you are willing to share with others. The SWAP Home Inventory Form lists common household hazardous products. If you have products not mentioned on the form that you wish to share, please note them in the section "Other." Record the brand name and the amount of the hazardous product you have on the form. While surveying your home, record on a different sheet of paper any products you wish to receive to compare later with the available products. Return the Home Inventory Form to the SWAP coordinator. The coordinator will compile a list of products available for exchange and each owner's name and phone number. Check the list for available products you may wish to use up.

SWAP Menu


Important Safety Guidelines for Inventorying Your House

  1. Do not eat, drink, or smoke while conducting the inventory. Traces of hazardous chemicals can be carried from hand to mouth. If the product is flammable , smoking may start a fire.

  2. If you find a product that is leaking and you have touch it, wash your hand immediately. Then wear heavy rubber or nitrile gloves for handling. Place the leaking product in its original container upright into a plastic bucket with a tight-fitting lid surrounded by plenty of clay-based absorbent (such as kitty litter) which will absorb the leaking product. On the outside of the plastic container write the contents, amount, and date, plus the words "Danger" or "Poison".

  3. Wash your hand thoroughly when you have finished the SWAP Home Inventory Form.

  4. Check to see if your hazardous products are stored out of the reach of children and pets.

  5. Be sure that flammables are stored away from sources of sparks, heat, and flames. Check that aerosols cans are stored away form high-temperature areas.

SWAP Menu


Home Inventory Form

PRODUCTBRAND NAMEAMOUNT
Living Room
Furniture polish
 
 
Other
 
 
Kitchen/Bathroom
Drain cleaner
 
 
Oven cleaner
 
 
Floor cleaner
 
 
Metal cleaner
 
 
Disinfectant
 
 
Ammonia
 
 
Nail polish remover
 
 
Other
 
 
Laundry Room
Bleach
 
 
Other
 
 
Laundry Detergent
 
 
Workbench
Caulking materials
 
 
Paint
 
 
Varnish
 
 
Paint thinner
 
 
Furniture stripper
 
 
Glue
 
 
Other
 
 
PRODUCTBRAND NAMEAMOUNT
Garage
Gasoline
 
 
Kerosene
 
 
Antifreeze
 
 
Windshield wiper fluid
 
 
Other
 
 
Lawn
Weed killers
 
 
Insecticides
 
 
Bug repellent
 
 
Flea spray
 
 
Fertilizer
 
 
Other
 
 
Around the House
Pool chemicals
 
 
Photography chemicals
 
 
Art/hobby supplies
 
 
Other
 
 
Other Products
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SWAP Menu


Selecting & Exchanging Household Hazardous Products

  1. Only exchange products in their original containers with labels that clearly identify the contents and safe use instructions. Do not exchange products in containers that are leaking.
  2. Never exchange a product that has been mixed.
  3. Do not exchange pesticides without contacting your county extension agent to determine if your pesticide is now considered banned or restricted.
  4. Have lids and caps tightly sealed.
  5. Beware of aerosols cans without caps. Package them with newspaper around the tops.
  6. Keep combustibles out of direct sunlight and away from heat sources.
  7. Place incompatible products in separate boxes. Flammable, corrosives, and poisons should all be separated. The product label will indicate its category.
  8. Place the products in your car trunk or be certain there is good ventilation if you transport them in the passenger compartment. Do not smoke while transporting hazardous materials.
  9. Wash your hand thoroughly after handling products.

SWAP Menu