Have you ever discovered household chemicals in a home that you listed or that your Buyer wants to purchase? Garden pesticides, weed killers, drain cleaners, paint, chlorine bleach, laundry detergents, oven cleaners, solvents, batteries, electronic wastes, and automotive fluid are just some of the common Hazardous Materials used by homeowners. It is against the law to throw Hazardous Materials in the trash, municipal dump, to pour them down the sewer or storm drain...and no, you cannot dig a big hole and bury them either!
A Hazardous Material becomes a "Hazardous Waste" when there is no further use intended for the material...and there are very strict laws and regulations about handling and disposing of Hazardous Wastes. Fines up to $25,000 per day, per incident, can be charged to persons and companies that do not follow the Hazardous Wastes laws and regulations in California.
The governmental agency that regulates Hazardous Waste in California, the Department of Toxic Substances (DTSC), recognizes the increased potential for the mishandling of hazardous waste with the large number of abandoned and foreclosed homes. To help avoid these circumstances, DTSC has issued a Press Release announcing a new Fact Sheet that presents guidelines for the proper handling and disposal of residential Hazardous Waste.
You can see the DTSC's Fact Sheet at http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/ContactDTSC/ManagingHW-ForeclosedProperties.cfm.
Other news articles of reference are: http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/79230 and http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2008/10/27/daily38.html
Keep in mind that the Fact Sheet was written for California laws, and they may be different in another state. You should check with local and state Environmental Protection or Environmental Health Agencies in your area.
Environmentally Yours,
Nancy Lancaster is a Realtor and Ecobroker practicing in the greater Sacramento region for Lyon Real Estate . Visit Nancy Lancaster website to find homes for sale in Sacramento. Nancy Lancaster sponsors a unique program called "Healthy Homes For You".
Not just hazardous wasts but wasted hazards. Vegrants shacking up in abandoned REO's, squatting, stealing appliances & copper pipes, etc...what a mess. The Government promised us millions to clean up these homes and neighborhoods, but I suspect that money will go to the banks to give them liquidity and the REO's will continue to sell "as is" which, of course, makes it hard for those FHA clients. All I can do is keep the pre-approvals coming & play the numbers game & educate my clients on the current state of Real Estate affairs.
On we go...
My first thought when I read your post was that the the chemicals you're talking about in a single residence are nothing compared to the volume of chemicals produced everyday. And disposing of the remains is one thing, but the fact that they are being used is a whole 'nother story. So - the fact that they're not going to the land fill when they're partly empty is just the tip of the iceberg. The chemicals, everytime they're used, are being released into the environment.
I appreciate your message that when our buyer clients select a foreclosed home, there is no one else accepting responsibility for the clean up; therefore our clients need to know what they're acquiring. And Chris raises a good point about the potential danger of vagrants in unoccupied buildings. For that, I recommend always ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door - hopefully the un-invited will leave through the back door!
In the meantime, I hope the idea of using enviornmentally safe cleaning products will speread and so the left-overs from a hasty move won't be a concern.
Hi Chris & Lynn...Thank you so much for commenting on my Blog Post. I'm new to the Blog scene, and am still getting my feet wet. Your comments are good ones. Chris, I understand the frustration of the promised money from the Government...I don't think it will happen either. Lynn, your absolutely correct, if our chemicals had more environmentally friendly formulations, it wouldn't matter if they went to the trash. There is a lot of movement in the Green Chemistry phenomenon in California..where consumer products will be made of compounds that are protective or our environment and humans.
Nancy, good information that buyers of any type home need to be aware of. Often sellers will leave behind what they don't want to bother getting rid of - especially in workshops, sheds, and garages. Thanks for the reminder to dispose of these things correctly.
Nancy there are so many considerations to think about when buying a foreclosure. This is certainly one of them.
Hey Nancy - Welcome to the blog scene. You're on to a great start! One good suggestion I have for any listing agents out there is to see if there are any disposal programs available in you're area. That way you can just add that to your seller's home prepping to do list when the time comes to put the home on the market. We have a drop off site at both our Arcata and Eureka CA Recycling Centers. Sellers need to know that this kind of clean up is their responsibility and there are several options available at least in CA for disposing of these harmful items.
Hi Heather & Bill , thank you for your comments. Haz materials can be a liability not only for Lenders, as described in the fact sheet, but for anyone (Agents, Buyers, property management companies, etc) who takes responsiblity for their disposal.
Hi Jessica, thank you so much for comments. You made a very good suggestion! Many communities have "Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Events" or special locations where homeowners can legally drop off their HHW. The best place to start would be to contact the local Environmental Health department for collection day event schedules.