Even though your canned whipped cream, deodorant, and other products might be completely harmless to use, the empty containers can become hazardous waste when you are done using them.
If not handled correctly, the products might be harmful to both people and the environment. Some products must also be handled in a specific way for them to be recycled.
Here is your guide on how to sort your hazardous waste.
All six recycling stations in Aarhus Municipality accept hazardous waste.
Find the nearest recycling station here.
Hazardous waste can also be disposed of as bulky waste—ideally along with other items you need collected.
Remember to order pick-up—it’s easy and free.
If you have needles and medicine residues, these must be disposed of by handing them in at your local pharmacy - preferably in their original packing.
Needles must be disposed of in needle buckets, which can be picked up at the pharmacy.
You must dispose of your hazardous waste inside the cabinet. It is not allowed to leave the waste next to the cabinet.
Energy-saving light bulbs contain mercury, which is harmful to people and the environment.
LED-lights, incandescent bulbs, and halogen bulbs do not contain mercury but must still be disposed of as hazardous waste to be recycled.
Remember that light bulbs must be put in a plastic bag before disposing of them in the red box.
Batteries must be sorted as hazardous waste, as they contain environmentally harmful materials which must be recycled.
Put the batteries in a clear plastic bag and tie a knot on it.
Larger batteries such as bike and car batteries must be dropped off at the recycling station.
Bottles containing cleaning products and chemicals, which might have a child-proof lid, must be sorted as hazardous waste. The bottle must be placed upright in the red box for hazardous waste, in its original packing.
The same applies to leftover pesticides, fertilizer, and containers.
Pressuriwed canisters such as deodorants, hair spray, lighter gas, shaving cream, etc. can explode or catch fire if exposed to intense heat or pressure.
This can happen if the canisters are sorted as residual waste and squeezed together in the waste collection truck.
Therefore, they must always be sorted as hazardous waste.
Paint, glue, and lacquer chemicals often contain environmentally harmful substances.
Therefore, leftovers must be disposed of as hazardous waste. This also applies to dried-up paint.
Larger quantities of paint or chemicals must be dropped off at the recycling station.
Electronic items contain a number of valuable raw materials such as gold, copper, tantalum, and neodymium, which will be in short supply in the future.
If you sort your used electronics as hazardous waste, these raw materials will be extracted and recycled. Electronics also contain other materials which are harmful to the environment if sorted as residual waste.
Read the leaflet on hazardous waste for a simple and quick guide on how to sort your hazardous waste in the sorting cabines.
Download the leaflet about hazardous waste and get a quick and easy overview of how to sort your hazardous waste in the common red boxes.
If you live in Aarhus city centre and use the underground waste containers, you have to dispose of your hazardous waste in the waste cabinets placed around the city.
In the cabinets you can dispose of many things such as spray cans, light bulbs, used batteries, worn-out electronics, and leftover paint.
On the map below, you can find your nearest hazardous waste cabinet or stand for battery disposal.