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Chemical and hazardous waste

Some products are perfectly safe to use in every day life, but at the point of disposal they become classified as hazardous and require specialist treatment using safe and environmentally friendly disposal or recycling methods.

Types of chemical household waste

Household products

  • Paint;
  • Paint brush cleaners and thinners such as white spirit;
  • Hazardous paint products (those with orange and black hazard symbol);
  • Descalers & oven cleaners;
  • Stain removers;
  • Drain cleaners;
  • Bleach or other strong cleaners and disinfectants;
  • Glues and adhesives;
  • Photographic chemicals;
  • Inks;
  • Thermometers.

Garden products

  • Pesticides;
  • Insecticides;
  • Lawn treatments;
  • Fungicides;
  • Weed killers;
  • Wood preservatives, treatments and varnishes.

Car maintenance products

  • Antifreeze;
  • Brake fluid;
  • Lubricants;
  • Degreaser.

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Chemical waste disposal

Warwickshire County Council can accept small amounts of household chemicals from members of the public, free of charge. If you have some chemicals which you need to dispose of, you will need to fill in a chemical waste disposal form.

Princes Drive household waste recycling centre in Leamington Spa is the only centre in Warwickshire that is licensed to accept chemical waste.

Please do not put liquid chemicals into your rubbish bin, once the waste is inside the collection vehicle it is crushed and there is a risk that the chemical will leak out of the vehicle and on to the road. You should also make sure you do not pour chemicals or oil down your sink or in to street drains as it can pollute local water courses.

When disposing of chemicals please follow the advice below:

  • Leave the chemical and hazardous materials in their original container;
  • If they are not in their original container, use a clearly marked suitable storage method – for advice contact Waste Management;
  • Store in a cool, dry place out of reach of children;
  • Never pour hazardous household waste down the drain;
  • Never mix chemicals;
  • Fill in a chemical waste form and await confirmation from Waste Management before taking your household chemicals to Princes Drive;

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Types of waste not accepted

Large volumes of hazardous or chemical waste or trade sources

Contact a local authorised company you can do this using the Netregs waste directory, Waste Management or the Environment Agency for further advice.

Ammunition or explosives

Please contact your local police station for advice.

Fireworks

Soak items in a container of water in an area where they cannot be tampered with and contact the manufacturer or supplier for advice on disposal. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) currently provide a limited storage facility for some Time Expired Pyrotechnics through HM Coastguard, prior to disposal.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)

Medicines

Please take medicines, in their original containers back to your local dispensing chemist or doctors surgery.

Clinical waste

Your district or borough council may be able to provide you with a collection service, alternatively contact your doctor or hospital for advice.

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Advice for householders

Reduce

Buying the correct amount and following the instructions for use will help you to reduce the quantity of waste garden chemicals you produce. Advice to customers on the use of garden chemicals in order to minimise waste and for your personal safety is provided below:

  • Choose the right size of product required for specific purposes;
  • Do not buy more chemicals than are needed in one season and use them up within two years of purchase;
  • Read the label carefully and follow instructions for use;
  • Only mix the recommended dosage; stronger solutions are wasteful, will seldom improve results and could potentially damage your plants;
  • When preparing solution for spraying, only mix enough for the job and use it all up;
  • Check the time intervals between spraying.

Re-use

Where appropriate, you should use up the product themselves, for the purpose for which they were designed. However you could give unwanted chemicals to a neighbour/friend etc as long as they are not beyond their shelf life, are in their original container and have the instructions available.

Recycle

Waste garden chemicals are not generally suitable for recycling.

Disposal

Even if you have reduced or reused as much as you can, disposal may still be needed for some materials. Small quantities (e.g. less than 125ml) can be diluted and sprayed onto bare soil or gravel paths/drives. Garden chemicals should never be poured down sinks, drains or lavatories or into water courses and ditches.

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Banned chemicals

Two EU Regulations resulted in the withdrawal and ban of some household chemical based products. These regulations were - the Creosote (Prohibition on Use and Marketing) (No.2) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003 1511) and the Pesticides Safety Directorate.

List of banned chemicals (pdf, 253Kb)

It was possible to legally continue using these products in your garden up to 31 December 2003. After 31 December 2003 householders could continue to store the products for a further 3 months, but only whilst arrangements are being made for disposal.

Creosote

Based on research carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute, the European Union decided creosote, obtained from the distillation of coal tar and creosote based products, pose a greater cancer risk than was previously thought. This led to a Europe-wide ban, and as a result, the Health and Safety Executive in the UK banned official dealers from selling creosote.

Pesticides

In 1995 the EU began a review of all pesticide active substances to ensure they continued to meet modern safety standards. For commercial reasons some manufacturers decided not to support their products through the review. This was usually because the products in question were old and there were more modern versions on the market or because demand for the product was low and did not justify the costs of the review. Action has been taken to withdraw products unsupported in stages 2 and 3 of the review from the market this summer. Around 130 professional and 80 amateur products were affected. The majority of amateur products are lawn treatments. A list of Frequently Asked Questions on this topic has been created for your information.

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