Lakes Region residents encouraged to reduce use of hazardous household products

MEREDITH — The Lakes Region Planning Commission encourages residents to reduce the use of hazardous household products.

Maintaining environmental quality in the Lakes Region requires personal and community responsibility. Products that are used in homes and yards can have significant impacts on our local environment. Most homes contain several common household goods that are considered a hazard to the environment if disposed of improperly. Anyone who looks under the sink, in the garage, or in the basement will likely see products such as oven cleaner, drain opener, hair spray, paint thinner, pesticides, or pool chemicals. These products and others are considered hazardous because they contain chemicals that are corrosive, explosive, flammable, or toxic.

If improperly stored or discarded, these products can damage the local environment. Pouring them on the ground or washing them down the sink does not make them go away. Municipal treatment plants and leach fields are incapable of processing certain chemicals. Landfill disposal poses many risks to people and the environment. In each case, the chemicals can leach out and contaminate our groundwater, upon which everyone is dependent.

Using alternative products is the first step to reducing one's “environmental impact.” If hazardous products are not purchased, then there is less toxic waste in the region. All Lakes Region residents are urged to use alternatives to hazardous household products. If, however, one does have some toxic materials in the home or garage that need to be discarded, a solution does exist. By pooling state, regional, and local resources, two dozen Lakes Region communities are offering safe, efficient, and effective household hazardous waste (HHW) collections through the Lakes Region Planning Commission (LRPC). This year’s HHW collections will occur on Saturday, July 30 and Saturday, August 6. More information on these collections can be found at http://www.lakesrpc.org/services_hhw.asp.