{"id":2666,"date":"2024-06-18T14:48:34","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T18:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/?p=2666"},"modified":"2024-06-18T14:48:34","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T18:48:34","slug":"why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

Hand sanitizer has been a common product in people\u2019s pockets, purses, and elsewhere even before the pandemic panic. While it\u2019s great for keeping things clean, killing germs, and reducing infections, once the bottle is (mostly) emptied, it\u2019s not wise to throw it away. Learn why you should never toss hand sanitizer in the trash and safer ways to get rid of it and protect the ecosystem.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Big Deal?<\/h2>\n

Hand sanitizer kills germs, but why is it an eco-hazard once you throw it away? The answer lies in its chemical composition. Standard hand sanitizers contain one type of alcohol or another\u2014usually ethanol or isopropanol. While both are great for killing disease-spreading germs on our hands, when they\u2019re thrown away in a landfill, they might eventually escape their containers and leach into the surrounding earth and water supply.<\/p>\n

One little bottle can\u2019t do too much damage, but consider the influx of disinfectant manufactured and sold over the past few years. As those bottles, tubes, and jars of disinfectant reach their expiration date, they\u2019ll be tossed. With thousands, if not millions of containers entering the landfills, even a few drops of sanitizer from each bottle is a lot of hazardous waste.<\/p>\n

Recycled or No Cycle?<\/h2>\n

Most hand sanitizers come in plastic bottles. Plastic waste is an already big issue, with millions of pounds of plastics floating in the oceans or buried in the soil. Plastic, of course, takes hundreds of years to break down and degrade, leaving a ticking time bomb for the earth. More immediately, plastic breaks down into microplastics, which enter the systems of living things\u2014mostly aquatic creatures. They kill sea and freshwater animal life and eventually contaminate the food chain.<\/p>\n

How To Get Rid of Hand Sanitizer<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, you can safely discard hand sanitizer containers and their contents. Local household waste collection programs often have special waste disposal methods for hand sanitizers and other commonly used household chemicals. If your community doesn\u2019t have a program in place, it\u2019s worth demanding one, especially if it can extend to electronic waste, paint, large appliances, and similar trash that shouldn\u2019t go to landfills. If you run a large business facility and have used hand sanitizer in bulk, consult a hazardous waste disposal company<\/a> about proper methods of disposal.<\/p>\n

Hand sanitizer bottles, being made of plastic or even glass, may be eligible for recycling, too. Use all the sanitizer, and don\u2019t pour any residue down the drain because it goes straight to the water supply. Remove pumps and caps that may not be recyclable. The label on the bottle, tube, or jar should provide more information on the item\u2019s recyclability.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the skinny on why you should never toss hand sanitizer in the trash. Stay smart by keeping your hands clean when you use sanitizer and dispose of it safely afterward!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hand sanitizer has been a common product in people\u2019s pockets, purses, and elsewhere even before the pandemic panic. While it\u2019s great for keeping things clean, killing germs, and reducing infections, once the bottle is (mostly) emptied, it\u2019s not wise to throw it away. Learn why you should never toss hand sanitizer in the trash and … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hazardous-waste","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hand sanitizer seems harmless\u2014we pour it on to keep germs at bay\u2014but it\u2019s not so great for the environment. Here\u2019s why you can\u2019t just throw it away.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hand sanitizer seems harmless\u2014we pour it on to keep germs at bay\u2014but it\u2019s not so great for the environment. Here\u2019s why you can\u2019t just throw it away.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Holden Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Holden Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Holden Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8220eac68442b162f493fa4aa0b2e86a\"},\"headline\":\"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\"},\"wordCount\":494,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Hazardous Waste\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\",\"name\":\"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00\",\"description\":\"Hand sanitizer seems harmless\u2014we pour it on to keep germs at bay\u2014but it\u2019s not so great for the environment. Here\u2019s why you can\u2019t just throw it away.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628,\"caption\":\"A woman's hand is holding a small bottle of hand sanitizer between her fingers, taking it out of a purse.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/\",\"name\":\"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Any Waste. Anywhere.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/cmeg-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/cmeg-logo.png\",\"width\":250,\"height\":69,\"caption\":\"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8220eac68442b162f493fa4aa0b2e86a\",\"name\":\"Holden Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea2d3303b82000d86bb32c757381082?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea2d3303b82000d86bb32c757381082?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Holden Smith\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/logicalposition.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash","description":"Hand sanitizer seems harmless\u2014we pour it on to keep germs at bay\u2014but it\u2019s not so great for the environment. Here\u2019s why you can\u2019t just throw it away.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash","og_description":"Hand sanitizer seems harmless\u2014we pour it on to keep germs at bay\u2014but it\u2019s not so great for the environment. Here\u2019s why you can\u2019t just throw it away.","og_url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/","og_site_name":"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.","article_published_time":"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Holden Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Holden Smith","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/"},"author":{"name":"Holden Smith","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8220eac68442b162f493fa4aa0b2e86a"},"headline":"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash","datePublished":"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/"},"wordCount":494,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg","articleSection":["Hazardous Waste"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/","url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/","name":"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-18T18:48:34+00:00","description":"Hand sanitizer seems harmless\u2014we pour it on to keep germs at bay\u2014but it\u2019s not so great for the environment. Here\u2019s why you can\u2019t just throw it away.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cleanmanagement-293485-pursehandsanitizer-1-BlogBanner.jpg","width":1200,"height":628,"caption":"A woman's hand is holding a small bottle of hand sanitizer between her fingers, taking it out of a purse."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/blog\/why-you-should-never-toss-hand-sanitizer-in-the-trash\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why You Should Never Toss Hand Sanitizer in the Trash"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/","name":"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.","description":"Any Waste. Anywhere.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#organization","name":"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc.","url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/cmeg-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/cmeg-logo.png","width":250,"height":69,"caption":"Clean Management Environmental Group, Inc."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8220eac68442b162f493fa4aa0b2e86a","name":"Holden Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea2d3303b82000d86bb32c757381082?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9ea2d3303b82000d86bb32c757381082?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Holden Smith"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/logicalposition.com"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cleanmanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}