Regardless of the reasons behind your estate sale, the process is already emotionally draining before you have to deal with hazardous waste you can’t throw away or take to the dump. Whether the result of downsizing or the death of a loved one, we all have accumulated so much in our lifetime, and sadly not all of it is safe or still useful. As an owner, family member, estate sale professional, estate agent, or junk hauler, it’s important you know how to deal with household hazardous waste during an estate sale.
Common Types of Hazardous Household Products in Estate Sales
More than memorabilia and furniture, what a homeowner really accumulates during their lifetime is products. From paint for the house to lime descalers for the bathroom, various products can be difficult to impossible to get rid of at home. A few common examples:
- Home Improvement: This includes everything from paint (challenging to dispose of in bulk) to gardening supplies like fertilizers.
- Electronics: Products that contain hazardous heavy metals like CTR monitors and TVs to certain types of batteries.
- Hobbies and Crafts: Specialty supplies like photography products, pool chemicals, automotive products, and glues and adhesives.
- Heavy-Duty Cleaners: Everything from furniture polish to carpet cleaner, as well as corrosive cleaners like muriatic acid.
- Flammables: Everything from small camper stove tanks to propane to gasoline (which does go bad).
Want to learn more? Make sure to check out our What We Accept page and our Fact Sheets page for tips for home disposal and handling.
Dealing with Estate Sale Hazardous Waste as a Third Party
If you’re an estate agent, junk hauler, or estate sale professional, the task of disposal of these hazardous household products will fall to you. It can be difficult to navigate hazardous waste, even from households, under local and federal hazardous waste laws. Make sure to properly navigate the process by consulting with a hazardous waste disposal company to see what your options are.
Regardless of your resources, disposing of so much hazardous waste can be difficult, especially with local municipal facilities limited in both what they will take and when they are open for public use. That’s why we founded the NEDT Hazardous Household Product Collection Centers to make disposing of residential hazardous waste easy. Not only do we have drop-off locations able to take large quantities of products, but we also have a pick-up service that can handle any sized estate. Contact us today to learn more.
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