Got hazardous waste? Cleaning the garage and other household projects can result in challenges on how to dispose of chemicals, paint and other potentially hazardous materials.

Allied Waste Services of Santa Barbara has put together a list of hazardous waste to help residents properly identify and dispose of items that pose potential threats to public health and the environment.

Hazardous waste products are materials that contain toxic substances and are flammable, highly reactive or corrosive. Many chemicals often used around the house or in cars are hazardous, such as cleaning products, batteries and paint thinners.

“Throwing these materials in the trash can have serious consequences for residents, the environment and our drivers,” said Stephen MacIntosh, general manager of Allied Waste Services. “Putting chemicals in your trash or recycling container can actually start a fire inside a garbage truck.”

Allied drivers are trained to recognize potentially hazardous materials and are instructed to refuse collection.

“Many homeowners don’t realize that they can’t put everything in the regular trash can, or may not know the risks involved with doing so,” MacIntosh said. “And pouring chemicals down the drain is not the proper solution — as these hazardous materials will end up in our ocean.”

Allied Waste Services asks homeowners to take the time to carefully handle these items and bring them to a disposal facility, to protect both the health of the community and the environment.

The following is a list of household hazardous waste that should not be placed in the trash:

» Automotive products — gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, lead-acid batteries, brake fluid and transmission fluid

» Home improvement products — varnish, stain, paint thinner, paint stripper, caulk, adhesives

» Household cleaners — drain opener, bleach and ammonia

» Pesticides — insecticide and insect repellent, weed killer, rat and mouse poison

» Other — pool chemicals, lighter fluid and hot coals from the barbecue or fireplace

» Propane tanks or compressed gas cylinders

» Ammunition — can go off if run over by a large machine at a landfill

» Fluorescent light bulbs

Households may dispose of hazardous waste free of charge at the county’s Community Hazardous Waste Collection Center on the UCSB campus, at the Environmental Health and Safety Building. The facility is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, click here or call 805.882.3602.

— Daniella Elghanayan is a publicist.