universal waste
n.— «It’s now illegal in California for households and any other entity to improperly dispose of a new list of widely used, but potentially harmful items containing mercury and other heavy metals that often wound up in garbage pails or recycle bins. Households must cart universal waste items—along with a host of hazardous waste, electronic waste and other potentially harmful, everyday items to sanctioned disposal centers.» —“Universal Waste Gets Universal Disposal Rule In California” by Broderick Perkins Reality Times Feb. 20, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Is there something inherent in English that makes it the linguistic equivalent of the Borg, dominating and consuming other languages in its path? No, not at all. The answer lies with politics and conquest rather than language itself. Plus: a new...
It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when people disagreed over the best word to use when answering the phone. Alexander Graham Bell suggested answering with ahoy! but Thomas Edison was partial to hello! A fascinating new book about...