In The Field: Fascinating Facts About Construction And Contractors

When you're putting your rubbish out for collection, it's often as easy as dumping all of your waste into your rubbish bin and then waiting for the rubbish collection agency to take away your things. But actually, there are some things that you should never dispose of in the trash. Of course, there are some things that you can recycle such as aluminium cans and plastic bottles, and these should be separated for collection of recyclable materials, but beyond that, there are also everyday household items that are toxic, and throwing them away in your rubbish bin would be spectacularly bad for your environmental footprint.

Electronic items. The world of technology advances at an extremely fast pace. Because of this, you probably have old phones, used CD players, laptops, and printers lying around that you don't know what to do with. If they are not going to be of any use to anyone, be sure not to throw them out in your general trash. Electronic items tend to contain high quantities of cadmium and lead. There are some recycling companies that can help you with electronics, and there are even online companies that pay people to mail in their electronic waste.

Oil based paint. Perhaps you have recently undergone a home renovation and you have some oil paint and oil varnish left over from your project. This is something that cannot be thrown into the trash because it can be toxic to humans, to animals, and to plant life as well. Instead of throwing left over paint away, you could donate it to a local organisation such as a theatre group that could benefit from the paint you don't need. You could also switch to latex paints because these are non-toxic and can be put out for rubbish collection. If you must dispose of oil paints, you will have to visit a household-hazardous-waste collection facility to do so.

Batteries. Batteries are tricky because they are all toxic, but they are all made from different materials too, and so they need to be disposed of in different ways. There are batteries made from lithium ion, nickel cadmium, sealed lead acid, zinc carbon, and other materials. Many large stores that sell batteries and electronic items will actually be able to recycle these for you to make the process much easier, and if you need to throw a watch battery you can often do so at a jeweller's. 

For more information, talk to a rubbish collection service.