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According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous waste is generally classified into four main categories:

1. Characteristic Wastes: These exhibit at least one of four hazardous traits: ignitability (flammable, like gasoline), corrosivity (can rust or decompose materials, like car batteries), reactivity (unstable and can explode, like aerosol cans), or toxicity (harmful when ingested, like lead-based paint).

2. Listed Wastes: These are specific wastes from manufacturing and industrial processes that the EPA has officially designated as hazardous. They include byproducts from processes that use solvents, pesticides, and other chemicals.

3. Universal Wastes: These are commonly generated hazardous items that are subject to streamlined regulations. Examples include batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment (e.g., bulbs), and some lamps.

4. Mixed Wastes: This category includes waste that contains both hazardous and radioactive components, making it subject to regulation by both the EPA and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The safest way to remove lead-based paint is by letting a professional take over. For most people, lead paint removal costs an average of $3,400. You should never attempt to dry sand old lead-based paint surfaces by hand. Most professionals use a paint stripper to do the job followed by wet scraping, but if you don’t want to remove lead paint, another option is to paint over it. Only consider this option if the old lead paint finish isn’t flaking or cracked.

The best disposal method for hazardous waste is recycling or donation, if possible. That way, the world can reduce its consumption of raw materials and the volume at which materials have to be treated and disposed of. If recycling or donation is not an option, most waste can be disposed of through landfills or incinerators, but their collection and treatment are separate from regular day-to-day waste disposal. 

While not all homes built before 1978 contain lead paint, enough do, so you’ll still want to test to be on the safe side. The federal government banned lead-based paint for homes in 1978, but your state may have banned lead before that time. Around 24% of homes built between 1960 and 1977 contained lead-based paint, while 87% of homes built before 1940 contained lead-based paint.