Just a quick environmental thought from a 30+ year experienced environmental engineer.......
On disposal, just read the label. Not trying to be a rude here. Manufacturers are supposed to have reliable information on their labels.
Most consumer products are safe to dispose of down a sink after use. I'm talking about the residue on the blade after cleaning. Some may be tough on a septic tank if you pour the whole bottle down the drain at once but even that would be rare for a consumer product. Water-based solutions in particular should be almost always safe.
Solvent-based solutions (those that don't dissolve readily in water) generally should not be sent down a drain in significant volumes. For the little residue on the blades, just some soapy, hot water will "neutralize" the solvent in the drain. If I used something oily on a blade and I wanted to get it off, using soapy, hot water in a sink would be fine for city sewers or septic tanks. Just don't pour the bottle down the drain.
The caution above about mixing chemicals and storing them till you head to the local disposal outlet is good advice. Basically, I would NOT mix different solutions into one container for easier handling. Again, the label should warn you about this but don't take chances. You can get some very nasty reactions from mixing household chemicals - just ask some terrorists!
That baking soda idea sounds very environmentally friendly. If you don't mind waiting overnight, that's the ticket!
One last hint, a good method of "disposal" for solvents is air drying. Disposal of oil-based paints is regulated by EPA for chemical factories and the general way it's handled is to (1) don't stop painting if there is still paint left in the can and (2) let the "empty" can dry. Once the solvent has evaporated, the remaining material is non-hazardous. Don't worry about air pollution, we do have to account for this in our EPA permits but it is a very minor source and generally not a toxic chemical being evaporated (but it is flammable).
On disposal, just read the label. Not trying to be a rude here. Manufacturers are supposed to have reliable information on their labels.
Most consumer products are safe to dispose of down a sink after use. I'm talking about the residue on the blade after cleaning. Some may be tough on a septic tank if you pour the whole bottle down the drain at once but even that would be rare for a consumer product. Water-based solutions in particular should be almost always safe.
Solvent-based solutions (those that don't dissolve readily in water) generally should not be sent down a drain in significant volumes. For the little residue on the blades, just some soapy, hot water will "neutralize" the solvent in the drain. If I used something oily on a blade and I wanted to get it off, using soapy, hot water in a sink would be fine for city sewers or septic tanks. Just don't pour the bottle down the drain.
The caution above about mixing chemicals and storing them till you head to the local disposal outlet is good advice. Basically, I would NOT mix different solutions into one container for easier handling. Again, the label should warn you about this but don't take chances. You can get some very nasty reactions from mixing household chemicals - just ask some terrorists!
That baking soda idea sounds very environmentally friendly. If you don't mind waiting overnight, that's the ticket!
One last hint, a good method of "disposal" for solvents is air drying. Disposal of oil-based paints is regulated by EPA for chemical factories and the general way it's handled is to (1) don't stop painting if there is still paint left in the can and (2) let the "empty" can dry. Once the solvent has evaporated, the remaining material is non-hazardous. Don't worry about air pollution, we do have to account for this in our EPA permits but it is a very minor source and generally not a toxic chemical being evaporated (but it is flammable).
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