Pay attention to potential dangers

Read the labels on household cans of paint, cleaners, oils, batteries and pesticides to see if they have components that can lead to hazardous waste.

Labels that have words like danger, warning, caution, toxic, corrosive, flammable or poison all might contain hazardous materials. One way to reduce the amount of hazardous waste is to give these leftover products to a neighbor or someone else to use. Some communities also have collection programs to prevent household hazardous waste from being dumped in landfills -- take advantage of them.