• Reduce - avoid or reduce purchases of products that produce household hazardous waste.
• Reuse - instead of disposing of usable materials, give them away to somebody who can use them safely.
• Recycle - some household hazardous waste can be recycled, such as lead-acid car batteries.
• Render less harmful - solidifying liquid household hazardous waste (e.g., paint, solvents), usually by absorbing them in kitty litter, can make them less dangerous to the environment when disposed of with regular trash.
• Route properly - some household hazardous waste is best put in the trash; some is better put down the drain; all should be kept out of the storm sewer. For example, instead of washing driveway oil spills into the gutter, soak up the oil with kitty litter and set it out with the trash.
• Retain - for some household hazardous waste, including persistent pesticides such as DDT and chlordane, it may be best to hold on to them, if it can be done safely, until a special household hazardous waste collection takes place. Make sure they are stored in a secure, marked container, inside another container (in case of leaks), also properly marked. Keep the material away from kids and pets.

For household hazardous waste collection dates in Cuyahoga County, Ohio and answers to your specific questions check the Cuyhoga County Solid Waste District <http://www.cuyahogaswd.org>