Every year, the United States produces at least 236
million metric tons of hazardous waste. Hazardous waste
is defined as solid waste that can pose a substantial
threat to human health and the environment when disposed
of incorrectly. Some commonly used household products,
when disposed of, become hazardous waste; historically,
much of this household hazardous waste (HHW) has been
disposed of into systems not designed to safely handle
hazardous waste. One solution to this disposal problem
is providing safe disposal systems for household
hazardous waste in the community.
The purpose of this study was to survey the
population of Benton County, OR to assess the residents'
HHW disposal practices, attitudes and beliefs about HHW
as an environmental health risk, and preferences for a
safe disposal system. Benton County residents' awareness
of the current community program for recycling used
household items was also investigated.
This study indicated that incorrect disposal methods
were used by the majority of subjects for almost all HHW
surveyed, and that for nonautomotive HHW, landfilling was
the most common means of disposal. The majority of
subjects in this study disposed of used motor oil and
lead-acid batteries by recycling these HHW. A permanent
collection site for HHW disposal was the preferred
disposal option for 62% of subjects, and 100% of those
subjects choosing this option said they would drive up to
5 miles to use this facility. This study indicates that
the largest number of subjects preferred the option of
paying a user fee for HHW disposal as a means of funding
a HHW disposal system. Three-fourths of the subjects
reported a high or moderate amount of concern about the
contribution of HHW to pollution of surface and
groundwater, and 68% of the subjects stated that they
lacked confidence in the landfill to safely contain
chemical wastes. Approximately one-half of the subjects
recalled reading or hearing about HHW disposal in the
past year, and 62% of the subjects stated that they would
call their garbage disposal company for HHW disposal
information.
The results of this study indicate that 90% of the
Benton County residents surveyed were aware of their
curbside recycling program.
This study suggests that Benton County residents are
concerned about the possible adverse environmental health
effects of incorrect HHW disposal, and supports a
permanent collection site for the safe disposal of HHW,
as well as increased public education, as means of
reducing the risks to human health and the environment
caused by incorrect HHW disposal. / Graduation date: 1992
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/37019 |
| Date | 23 July 1991 |
| Creators | McEvoy, John |
| Contributors | Rossignol, Annette M. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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