Info for Homeowners

Waste Disposal

Learn what, why and where to dispose of hazardous waste at www.spokanewastedirectory.org.

Be a Consumer and Water Advocate!

A key strategy to eliminating PCBs is to STOP ALLOWING PRODUCTS TO CONTAIN THEM. Because products are still allowed to contain PCBs, ask product suppliers if they know if their products contain PCBs? If enough people are bringing attention to it, more corporations might evaluate their products by asking the same question of the manufacturers. Just like organic foods and cage-free eggs have reached market viability, perhaps PCB-free products could reach the same point if the consumer demands it. When asking the question, anticipate that the employee won’t know the answer but the question simply raises awareness.

• Ask the oil change business you patronize if they would find out if their oil is PCB-free. If they say it is, ask if they have documentation to show that.
• When purchasing paints or dyes, check with them to see if they ask the product manufacturers about PCB content.
• Request plain packaging that uses less ink since a lot of common packaging contains PCBs due to inks and dyes.

Avoid the drains!

“Only rain down the storm drain.”

The more chemicals, solvents, oil, paints, fertilizers that go into our storm drains and home drains, the more we’re pushing out into the environment. Simply put, be thoughtful about your purchase and disposal of products. Look for green alternatives if possible.

Your Home

Explore the different areas of your home at the Spokane Regional Health District website!

For Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects around your home, follow best management practices for reducing PCBs in runoff during demolition and renovation.  Here is a short, simple guide to review:
BMP: REDUCING PCBs in RUNOFF associated with DEMOLITION and REMODELING

Be Aware of fish consumption advisories.

Since PCBs can bio-accumulate in fatty fish tissue, it’s important to allow fatty tissue to drip away when grilling/cooking.