Are you done with a wood stain and looking to throw it away? Stop! That stain’s hazardous waste. Just like with paints, stains consist of three major parts—the pigment that colors the stain, the binder that causes the pigment to stick to painted surfaces, and the solvent that keeps everything a liquid until drying. Let’s go over the important components below to better understand how they create a product that is hazardous waste and can’t be disposed of at home.
Keeping Oil-Based Products Out of Landfills
The vast majority of wood stains have an oil/petroleum-based solvent to keep things wet until they are allowed to dry on applied surfaces. Beyond the risks of Volatile Organic Compounds (see below), oil-based products can’t be thrown in the trash. Just like with oil-based paints, oil-based stains are banned from household disposal due to environmental concerns. Older products may also contain heavy metals, such as lead, as part of the pigmentation.
Safety and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Due to their oil/petroleum-based nature, wood stains also emit Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs for short. These compounds are perfect for stains with high vapor pressure and low water solubility, meaning they dry fast. But they also pose risks for use—make sure to read the labels for proper use, including ventilation and safety gear—as well as storage, since they can pose fire risks, especially if not sealed properly.
The Trouble of Liquid Adhesives
The other major component of stains is the binder—a type of adhesive that sticks to and coats whatever it’s applied to (or poured on). When it comes to disposal, adhesives can pose a sticky situation, as their cans will rupture in a garbage truck during compaction or at the disposal facility, causing machinery to gum up. Likewise, even beyond the environmental impact of pouring stains down the drain, the adhesives would stick to the interior of the pipes, restricting flow.
So, what can you do for disposal? If your product is still in good condition and doesn’t contain lead or other harmful metals, you can see about giving it away. If your stains and other products are due to a small business or at-home business, you may qualify for MA’s VSQG small business waste disposal program. Otherwise, you can come to one of our NEDT Collection Centers for stain disposal! We also accept many other products, including paints. Call us at 1 (866) 769-1621 or contact us online today to learn more. Ready to come in? Find your nearest location or schedule a pick-up!
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