Household hazardous waste

Household hazardous waste (HHW) was a term coined by Dave Galvin from Seattle, Washington in 1982 as part of the fulfillment of a US EPA grant.

[4] HHW products exhibit many of the same dangerous characteristics as fully regulated hazardous waste which are their potential for reactivity, ignitability, corrosivity, toxicity, or persistence.

The term "home generated special materials" more accurately identifies a broader range of items that public agencies are targeting as recyclable and/or should not be disposed of into a landfill.

The most extensive overview of this topic including history, policy and technical issues is contained in the 2018 book Handbook on Household Hazardous Waste (2nd Ed.

[5] An additional HHW overview resource is in Chapter 10 of the Handbook of Solid Waste Management, George Tchobanoglous and Frank Kreith, Editors.

[7] The professional organization most focused on HHW issues is the North American Hazardous Materials Management Association, NAHMMA.

[11] In collaboration with the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) NAHMMA offers certification to HHW collection program professionals.