Reduce your risk this fire season

Published: 31 October 2023
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man in garage standing in front of shelves of flammable cleaning items

Storing chemicals you no longer need at home is dangerous, particularly in fire season.

In the event of a fire, flammable materials add fuel and toxic household chemicals can release gases that pose a risk to you and your family, and to the emergency services personnel who come to your aid.

Sustainability Victoria is hosting free Detox Your Home events in regional Victoria where residents can safely dispose of unwanted flammable chemicals, like turpentine, kerosene, mower fuel, and other household cleaning and garden chemicals.

These chemicals are harmful to the environment and should not be placed in kerbside bins or tipped down the drain as they can pollute our waterways, harm animals and vegetation, and contaminate our water supply.

Running for nearly 30 years, Sustainability Victoria’s Detox Your Home program has seen the safe removal of 7,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals – equivalent to the weight of 40 trams – and more than 10,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle materials from households around the state.

Hosted in partnership with local councils, Detox Your Home events are staffed by expert chemists who identify and sort the chemicals for safe transport back to a licenced facility in Melbourne where they are processed for reuse or safe disposal.

Chemicals collected are recovered or recycled wherever possible. If they cannot be reused in any way, they are safely disposed of.

Don’t take the risk this fire season, dispose of your chemicals by registering for a Detox Your Home event.

Learn more about Detox Your Home and see the full list of accepted items.