Taipei, Jan. 19 (CNA) The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is advising consumers to reuse heat packs for other purposes before throwing them away amid concerns their widespread use could create a waste disposal issue.
Heat packs have been in high demand recently because of a series of cold spells, but because of the complexity of the materials used in the product, there is no viable way to recycle them and it is risky to bury them in a landfill, the EPA said.
The best way to dispose of them is to pack them in garbage bags and hand them over to garbage trucks to be incinerated, the agency said.
Before throwing them away, however, consumers can use them as air deodorizers or dehumidifiers in closets or for shoes because of the activated charcoal they contain, but the packs must no longer emit heat before being used in those ways, according to the EPA.
The agency, meanwhile, urged people shopping for an electric heater or air conditioner that can also warm up a space to choose devices with an energy-efficient label to limit their impact on the environment.
