The HazChem Center of Southeast Iowa serves the southeast  Iowa counties and communities located within the counties of  Des Moines, Lee, VanBuren, and Henry, as is the city of Morning  Sun. It is funded impart through agreements between the DMC  Regional Waste Commission, Great River Regional Waste Authority, and Van Buren County. It is setup to dispose of the  four types of hazardous waste: flammable, corrosive, reactive  and poisonous..

What is Household Hazardous Waste?
The term "household hazardous waste," refers to household products that posses one or more of the following characteristics:

• Combustable-capable of being easily set on fire.
• Corrosive-capable of burning or destroying living tissues and materials by chemical reaction.
• Reactive-capable of exploding when exposed to heat or extreme pressure: may react violently when exposed to incompatible substances.
• Toxic-able to cause severe injury or death when inhaled, ingested or absorbed throught the skin.
  
  

Proper Handling Is Important
If these products are disposed of like ordinary waste, they can:

• Injure sanatation workers.
• Damage septic or sewer systems.
• Cause explosions or fires.
• Pollute or poison water supplies.

How to Handle Household Hazardous Waste
Some examples of household hazardous waste are listed below. Click on the link to print out a fact sheet on how to handle each material.

HazChem Center Printable Fact Sheets