Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with disposal

Toronto electronics disposal?

LukeyBoy — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:40:08 -0800

Where can I dispose of broken tech and appliances in Toronto? I've got a bunch of old, dead computer parts, a busted laptop, a dead vacuum, and well the list goes on. I've been hoarding them since I can't just toss them in the garbage obviously. We're paying a disposal tax now on all electronics purchases and I thought that disposal centers went along with that but I can't seem to find them. Anyone know the best way to dispose of this stuff? Thanks.

Destroy or Merely Throw Out?

aswego — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:49:41 -0800

Committing the great library sin...which of these is a better way to get rid of some books? My library is disposing of a large number of volumes, and is locked into a particular moving/storage/disposal company by our institutional parents. Our choices are "standard disposal" (basically tossing the volumes into a landfill) or "certified destruction (which seems to involve removing pages from spines and eventual incineration), which is a bit more expensive.

The company's only advertised reasons for the more expensive option are privacy and public relations. Our materials are not sensitive, so I don't think we have any privacy concerns. In addition, while it might be bad PR to have someone discover one of our books while roaming a landfill and then telling anyone they know how wasteful we are, I can't imagine it would be too likely.

The company doesn't make any claims that one method is more environmentally friendly than the other. Is there any reason I may be missing for choosing the destruction/incineration option?

Obviously I know there are other methods some libraries (including us in the past) use to get rid of books, but they don't seem to be an option this time. I'd hope the discussion wouldn't go that way.

What do you do with household mercury in India?

bookish — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:07:06 -0800

I would like to dispose of a thermometer that might contain mercury. What's the best way to do this, in India? I'm living in Jaipur, Rajasthan. My roommate bought a cheap thermometer a week ago, but the liquid has separated and it doesn't seem to be responding to the freezer. I'm not sure if it's mercury-- it has gray-black liquid and a silver bulb, and it's unmarked. I'd like to get rid of the damn thing, but I'm not sure how to do so responsibly here, especially if it is a mercury thermometer.

Municipal waste management seems to consist of a bunch of dumpsters scattered throughout town. People and animals go through these dumpsters pretty regularly to scavange, so it seems like tossing it there is a really bad idea. I've been looking for some info on hazardous waste in the city, but haven't found much, aside from this dispiriting article.

What's the best thing to do with a thermometer in these conditions?

What's the best way to go about replacing my kitchen sink and faucet?

aburd — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:13:32 -0800

What's the best way to go about replacing my kitchen sink and faucet? I have $1500-2000 that I can put towards a sink, faucet, and disposal. I also need the under sink plumbing worked over (there is a persistent leak). Should I source the whole thing piece by piece and then hire a plumber? Should I just get a plumber to sell me the whole thing? How do I know if I'm getting hosed? What's the best way to do this?

"Green" couch disposal?

ClaudiaCenter — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:16:06 -0800

Minor dilemma re getting rid of slightly smelly couch. So, after two quarts of nature's miracle, and 1.5 hours of cleaning and "urine treatment" from a professional, the couch still smells. (Yes, it was cat urine -- I was cat sitting a friend's cat, and my "regular" cat took offense.) Not, oh my god it's a toxic cloud of hell, but still a bit smelly. So I've decided to give up on the couch. It's comfortable and it looks okay, but I'm over trying to de-smell the thing. I have a new couch I want to buy, and I want to break up with this one.

I could call Goodwill or Salvation Army to come get the couch from the curb. But will they reject it? And -- is it wrong to give a smelly couch to a charity?

I could call a junk guy and pay $100 to cart the couch away as junk. But that probably means it goes into landfill, right? I hate to throw it away into the dump if someone could use it.

This is not the most earth-shattering question in the world, but thanks for any advice.

Drug Disposal

sandraregina — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:46:35 -0800

I know that when medicine expires or is no longer needed, the best way to dispose of it is to take it to a local pharmacy with a disposal program and hand it off to them to take care of it. But that gets me to wondering - then what? How do pharmacies dispose of unwanted or expired medication? I can't see the little pharmacy in the local strip mall having an incinerator, for example (though hey, they might). Does it go to a medical waste disposal company? What about medications that fall on the floor, or get mixed up, or never picked up at the counter? What kind of tracking systems are in place to ensure the pharmacists don't sweep a couple pills under their shirt when counting them and walk out and sell them? Especially if its already been logged as 'disposed of' (or however its tracked)?

This isn't for any particular, pressing need. I'm just curious. Can anyone shed some light on what happens after I take my meds to the pharmacy to be disposed?

Deprecated Physical Magnetic Media and You

cavalier — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:15:30 -0800

Audio Cassette Tapes. VHS tapes. 1/4" Reel-to-Reel tapes. If it's magnetic and stringy and housed in plastic casing, I have it. Quite a few boxes. A few shrink wrapped, some new in box, many more used. Besides craigslist -> free, does anyone have a use for my deprecated media? Aye, this question was already asked in 2004. I thought I'd ask it again. Just in case there's some hipster revival in Provo that's in desperate need of magnetic media. Anybody out there still need/want tape?

Stereo Mini cord is toxic?

silsurf — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:22:27 -0800

Why does this stereo mini to RCA adapter have a obscure image icon that indicates hazardous waste? I have a stereo mini to RCA adapter cord that gave out and before tossing it in the trash I noticed this teeny-weeny sticker on one end. All that is on the sticker is an image of a trash receptacle with a circle and a line through it. Very small, very hard to see.

I scanned it and you can see the image here.

What is in this cord that I should be so worried about and how shall I dispose of it safely?

Henry

How should I dispose of my body?

Arasithil — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:56:33 -0800

What are the least wasteful and/or most productive (preferably legal) things that can be done with my body after I'm dead? Burial doesn't sound too great because it takes up a perfectly good chunk of land indefinitely. And even if ashes actually make good fertilizer, it doesn't seem like that would outweigh the energy involved in cremating a corpse.

The best post-mortem activity I can think of right now is donating to science (things like The Body Farm seem pretty neat), but I'm wondering what other interesting disposal methods there might be out there. I welcome all your suggestions!

How do I dispose of LOTS of private documents?

PandemicSoul — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:43:19 -0800

Is there an easy way to get rid of hundreds of pages of private documents? I just moved into a smaller apartment than I had before, with a roommate. I'm quite a packrat, and had to get rid of a bunch of stuff, including literally hundreds of pages of files and private documents from apartments past (utility bills, vehicle statements, medical records/bills, etc.) that I don't need, but haven't ever known what to do with -- except for continue to schlep around with me. Well, I'm done with that!

I have a box that weighs, I think, around 50-60 pounds with paper. What do I do to get rid of it? I live in San Fernando Valley, if there's something local beyond general suggestions. The only possible solution I've come up with is allowing a co-worker to take the stuff home and burn at his house way outside of LA, but I'm not entirely comfortable with him having access to so much of my private information.

What should I do with comic books after I read them?

raddevon — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 04:37:08 -0800

What should I do with comic books after I read them? I'm starting to get into comics and would like to read some of them on a regular basis. However, I am in the process of uncluttering my life and don't want the comic books to defeat that. For those of you who don't keep your comics, how do you dispose of them? I don't want to just throw them away. I wouldn't mind giving them away to friends, but if there is a way I could get just a little money for them or, better still, trade them for other comics I would like to read, I would prefer those options. I should clarify that these are brand new comics--not classics or anything like that. I will purchase them new, read them in a week or so, then get rid of them.

Kitchen repair dominoes.

iamabot — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:53:37 -0800

Why is my 6-10 yr old Kenmore Dishwasher not draining? The long dreamed of installation of a garbage disposal in our kitchen was declared Mission Accomplished this morning when I completed the unplanned/unbudgeted stub projects that (de)evolved over the last 24 hours consisting of a new sink, new water supply/stop valves, new drains and new faucet projects that piled on to the initial "oh I can do this in 2 hours" disposal install that I began yesterday afternoon. I am a fool, and I admit it without reservation. However it's all installed, nothing leaks, looks acceptable/etc, and I am likely to survive the night and return to the good graces of my wife, cats and dog when they regain use of the kitchen.

There's one tiny problem. The dishwasher is not draining. The final test phase of the new kitchen set up was to test the dishwasher. I opened the dishwasher, and it's full of water after it's cycle.

The normal procedure for diagnosing these types of problems appears to be make sure the drain tube is not kinked and that it's running to the proper spot.

Here's the set up:

Double sink, drains from sink A goes in to drain pipe that runs to a T joint that is attached to the outlet of the disposal. The dishwasher drain is attached to the appropriate pot on the disposal. The bottom of the T join connects to your standard P trap which in turn connects to the sewer/drain outlet emerging from the wall. All appears to be right in the world, and I may be flattering myself but it's a clean install with no wackiness in the plumbing from that angle.

So any thoughts, kinked hoses aside, as to where the problem is? The device sounds like it's pumping at the appropriate time in it's cycle. What are the check points for a busted washer of dishes.

I am thinking it's unlikely, but completely inline with my luck on this project, that the dishwasher decided to go for a walk. Short of calling Sears to come out and give it a look over what can I do to investigate?

Glass down the garbage disposal?

onlyconnect — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:34:32 -0800

We broke a glass in the kitchen sink and cleaned it up as best as we could, but now the garbage disposal is jammed. Do we have to call a plumber? My fearless husband NortonDC pulled out the biggest pieces of glass with kitchen tongs, but when we turned the disposal on to test it it made kind of a loudish grinding noise. We only ran it about 5-10 seconds, and then when we tried it again it wouldn't run at all.

Oh AskMe, do we need to call a plumber to fix it? Would it help to run the water for a while and hope it loosens things up? Or is it bad to run the water and wash glass down our plumbing? We don't have a wet vac, but would it make sense to invest in one instead of calling a plumber?

Thanks for your help!

Lost five pounds and spend the day unclogging it.

jak68 — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:57:46 -0800

Why dont they make a "garbage disposal" for my shower drain as well as my toilet? Or do they? You know, where you flick a switch, and WHIRRRR the clog is ripped to shreds and vanishes.

Googling hasnt shown anything; visits to home stores hasnt turned up anything. You'd think this would be one of the most obvious needs and wants for anyone living under a roof. I'm amazed that no one has made these. Does anyone know of one or has anyone used one? Any ideas where I might be able to get one for both my shower drain and my toilet?

Help me get rid of a dead PDA w/data

tristeza — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 19:17:01 -0800

I have an old Palm Tungsten C that I fried when I plugged it in in Kenya with a bad converter. I could never use it again, couldn't even turn it on, ever. I want to dispose of it, but there *was* sensitive data on it before it fried. Can you help me with the a) most enviro-friendly and b) data protective way of disposing of it?

Grindage

chuckdarwin — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:00:24 -0800

The local council is urging residents who live in a flat to get a food waste disposer (garbage disposal). Are these units an environmentally sound alternative to composting? In the US, I was used to having an "Insinkerator" and I miss it. But, isn't it bad for the sewage treatment plants? Should I be trying to convince my neighbours to share a composting bin with me [I have no garden at all, or else I would've already started composting]?

Disposal of non-usable CDs

tksh — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:29:51 -0800

How does one responsibly dispose of a stack of outdated CDs? Let's say we have a hundred or three CDs: some pressed, some CDR and some CDRW. And let's also say that none are audio CDs or of the nature that can be donated to the local library or school. No cases or covers, just the plain discs but no privacy issues either.

There is no need to destroy them but just the desire to dispose of them in some eco-friendly way. Just dumping them into the garbage pail doesn't seem too responsible.

Any ideas?

Why does my dishwasher fill up my sink?

aofl — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:11:59 -0800

Why does my dishwasher fill up my sink? I've just moved to an apartment that is old but filled with new amenities. Everything works fine but when I run the dishwasher it fills up my sink with water. The only way I can empty the sink is to run the disposal. The main problem is that the sink can fill to overflowing, which means I have to monitor it while the dishwasher is working.

Granted, it's the apartment manager's responsibility to fix this, but I want to understand what is going on. Why won't my sink drain unless I run the disposal?

Most appropriate way for trashing old computer?

skepticallypleased — Fri, 11 May 2007 23:11:34 -0800

How do I properly dispose of my computer? It's old and I'm not sure how to reformat it (no longer have installation disks). I know I can't just put it out on the curb, right? So, what is the "right" way to trash your old desktop computer?

Exercise bike disposal

cyrusdogstar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 07:50:49 -0800

How to dispose of a broken exercise bike (in north New Jersey)? I'm moving next weekend and have a broken exercise bike (in good condition otherwise--the flywheel belt came off) which I do not intend to keep, and hope to avoid moving with.

I've tried hawking it on Freecycle and got one bite, but have reservations about whether it will actually be picked up; so I assume it will need to be disposed of in some other fashion (the next bulk-trash day at my current residence is in March).

So. How do I get rid of it? Can it be taken to a regular dump (do they even have those in suburbia)? Are there places that will take slightly broken equipment and fix it up / resell? Other?

As stated, this is in northern New Jersey, Union County to be specific.

how do I clean my garbage disposal?

indigo4963 — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 13:59:43 -0800

My "garbage disposal" is all gunked up. How do I clean it?

How does one dispose of medical waste?

Drunken_munky — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:37:42 -0800

How can you get rid of medical waste in Toronto? I have a container filled with medical waste in my house, left over from when a family member was sick. It is in a sealed red container that has one of those biohazard stickers on it. From what I can see though the clear plastic top, it seems to be filled with some needles, a few morphine cartridges, and a lot of plastic tubing and gloves.

Since medical waste is prohibited from being thrown away or taken to the dump by the city of Toronto, (and it is, according to the language used here, right?) how does one get rid of something like this? (Also, why do I have this in my house? Should the nurse who was here have taken it with her?)

What to do with yellow clay

destro — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 14:36:53 -0800

What can I do with a large quantity of yellow clay? I have a number of piles of yellow clay from digging up the earth around my house for a flower garden that's not easy to dispose of. I could separate it out into lots of garbage bags or pay somebody to haul it off. Is there another way I could reuse this stuff? Does it have a particular usefulness?

How do I responsibly dispose of old zip disks?

emjaybee — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 09:15:13 -0800

My company has a cartload of old zip disks with non-confidential info on them (and a zip drive). Is there any good way to dispose of these...? Someplace that could erase and reuse or resell them would be ideal, since we don't have the staff to go through and erase them ourselves. (We're in N. TX but could possibly ship them off). I just hate to put them in the landfill.

Amp/receiver - throw or give away?

ObscureReferenceMan — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 17:45:30 -0800

What to do with a damaged stereo receiver? I've got an old stereo amplifier/receiver (a twenty year Onkyo, TX-26), and the left channel is... gone. I'll be replacing it (thanks, by the way, to the info in this thread - getting the 8222), but what should I do with the old one? Just toss it? Or can it still be used by someone, somehow? Any environmental concerns if it goes in the trash? Thanks, gang!