# Hazardous waste



## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

I have a closet full of half empty cans of paint I'd like to get rid of.

Has anyone ever seen the concept of a hazardous waste disposal site in Mexico ? Do stores such as Comex or Home Depot take in such things ? Perhaps I should just open the cans and let it all dry out and then dispose of them in the normal trash ?


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Just pour into the closest river like everyone else, LOL


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## AnneLM (Aug 16, 2016)

I'm not in Mexico (yet) but I do the drying out thing for all leftover latex paints. According to the Illinois EPA: "Today's latex (water-based) paint has a very low level of toxicity. Disposing of it at a household hazardous waste collection day is very expensive. Therefore, the Illinois EPA encourages people with unwanted latex paint to use other options." These other options include using it up, giving it to a neighbor (might there be someone in your comunity who would welcome it?) or drying it out and disposing in the regular trash. You can add absorbent kitty litter or shredded newspaper to help it dry out, but I just leave the open cans in my garage until they are solid.
Oil based paints are another story. They are considered hazardous. Can't help you there.


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## Bodega (Apr 20, 2016)

AnneLM said:


> I'm not in Mexico (yet) but I do the drying out thing for all leftover latex paints. According to the Illinois EPA: "Today's latex (water-based) paint has a very low level of toxicity. Disposing of it at a household hazardous waste collection day is very expensive. Therefore, the Illinois EPA encourages people with unwanted latex paint to use other options." These other options include using it up, giving it to a neighbor (might there be someone in your comunity who would welcome it?) or drying it out and disposing in the regular trash. You can add absorbent kitty litter or shredded newspaper to help it dry out, but I just leave the open cans in my garage until they are solid.
> Oil based paints are another story. They are considered hazardous. Can't help you there.


I love this answer, very practical, especially the part re beneficial reuse. As a rule, when I have leftover paint, I place it neatly on the sidewalk in the area of trash pickup, but not on trash day. Without fail, one of the neighbors will pass by, shake the cans, and ask permission to take them. Maybe my neighbors are more resourceful than others, but I don't think so. Unless the paint is so old that it is no longer of any use, my guess is that you will have a line of happy recyclers.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

Bodega said:


> I love this answer, very practical, especially the part re beneficial reuse. As a rule, when I have leftover paint, I place it neatly on the sidewalk in the area of trash pickup, but not on trash day. Without fail, one of the neighbors will pass by, shake the cans, and ask permission to take them. Maybe my neighbors are more resourceful than others, but I don't think so. Unless the paint is so old that it is no longer of any use, my guess is that you will have a line of happy recyclers.


We live in a secured community. I'm not sure that the one neighbor who passes by our trash pickup spot would get out of his Mercedes to shake the cans  And the trash pickup people are very particular as to what they will take.

In anticipation of the upcoming rainy season this week we had the wood which makes up our garage roof replaced. We had to take off the barrel tiles. We have perhaps 20 or so which are not reusable. I also have to find a way of disposing of them in an acceptable manner. The guy who repaired the roof would not take them, although he did take away the old wood, as he had no idea how to get rid of them. I'll have to look for someone who is looking for some 'clean' landfill.


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## Zorro2017 (Jan 9, 2017)

I sat waiting for my wife to buy tamales once watching the trash truck go through the bags of garbage separating the aluminum cans and plastic to recycle them for personal profit I presume, little is wasted in Mexico. I would contact a local who makes furniture and ask if they want it, chances are, they do.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

Zorro2017 said:


> I sat waiting for my wife to buy tamales once watching the trash truck go through the bags of garbage separating the aluminum cans and plastic to recycle them for personal profit I presume, little is wasted in Mexico. I would contact a local who makes furniture and ask if they want it, chances are, they do.


I have seen that as well - while the truck was moving. That is one reason why I shred any piece of paper which might have any personal info on it, before throwing it in the trash.

Sure - a lot of times when we have someone come by the house to do work we offer them the stuff we are looking to unload. Only trouble is - perhaps half the people who come here come by bus.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

When I moved from Seattle I had some paint to get rid of. The hazardous waste site took the oil based paint, but they wanted you to dry out and dispose of latex paint in the normal trash. There's info on the internet about how to tell which is which. In that area the environmentalists have set very restrictive policies, so if it wasn't really safe to put dried latex paint in the normal trash stream they wouldn't recommend it.

If any of your cans are have more than a couple inches of latex paint in them they may take too long to dry, so you can go the kitty litter route if you have a cat. If not, Home Depot (in the US) carried packets of stuff made expressly for drying out latex paint, in the paint section. One packet per gallon, packets sold separately, about US$1 per packet. The packets aren't very big, so it must be more effective than kitty litter. For one can that's probably a cheaper route than buying a whole bag of kitty litter.


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## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

AnneLM said:


> Disposing of it at a household hazardous waste collection day is very expensive.


I'm in Mexico now, but used to work in L.A., large areas of which are indistinguishable from any large Mexican city. Hazardous waste disposal (legally) was free, but very inconvenient. Typically the disposal site was far away and open only from 9-3 on the second Saturday of the month. So most people simply didn't bother and tossed it with the rest of the toxic junk into the already overflowing alleys. Mexico tends to be better in this regard because most folks have limited resources and are therefore less wasteful. Most people where I live now wouldn't pass on paint that's still liquid, except for a few NorAm expats. Just leave the cans out near the street and someone will be happy to put it to good use.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Get a 5 gallon “cubeta“ with a good top, and drain all of your miscellaneous latex paints into it. You will probably end up with a grey or beige result, but pigments are available, or you can use it just as it is. Those who paint out local graffiti may welcome the donation, or it may be useful as a base coat when repainting exterior walls which have been repaired. Be creative. Years ago, when remodeling houses for fun and profit, I often bought all the returns at local paint stores; the paint that they mixed, but which did not match the customer‘s sample. They sold it cheaply, so I would buy all the beiges and mix them together; same for the blues, off-whites, etc. Used it all up repainting remodeled homes, sometimes adjusting with whites or powdered pigments.
Let the empty smaller cans dry out and put them in the trash.


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

eastwind said:


> For one can that's probably a cheaper route than buying a whole bag of kitty litter.


As I write this we probably have 400 kg of pine cat litter in the wash room (honestly)


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## horseshoe846 (Feb 8, 2017)

perropedorro said:


> Most people where I live now wouldn't pass on paint that's still liquid, except for a few NorAm expats. Just leave the cans out near the street and someone will be happy to put it to good use.


Well tomorrow at noon our herrero is coming by to finish up some work. I'll ask him. There is a main drag nearby with a good bit of traffic. Perhaps it is as simple as my creating a pyramid of these cans with a cardboard sign which says 'Gratis'...

(In a way it reminds me when we disposed of some of our stuff before coming to Mexico).


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## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

horseshoe846 said:


> Well tomorrow at noon our herrero is coming by to finish up some work. I'll ask him. There is a main drag nearby with a good bit of traffic. Perhaps it is as simple as my creating a pyramid of these cans with a cardboard sign which says 'Gratis'...
> 
> (In a way it reminds me when we disposed of some of our stuff before coming to Mexico).


Great idea! It's hard to imagine that someone won't be really delighted to find them, and put them to good use.  

.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

horseshoe846 said:


> Well tomorrow at noon our herrero is coming by to finish up some work. I'll ask him. There is a main drag nearby with a good bit of traffic. Perhaps it is as simple as my creating a pyramid of these cans with a cardboard sign which says 'Gratis'...
> 
> (In a way it reminds me when we disposed of some of our stuff before coming to Mexico).


I'm pretty sure I know which main drag you're referring to, and I was going to suggest exactly this solution, right down to the "Gratis" sign.


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