Hazardous Waste
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Keep your family and community safe by reducing your use of toxic household chemicals and properly disposing of what you no longer need.
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What is household hazardous waste?Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) includes any household product labeled "caution," "toxic," "danger," "hazard," "warning," "poisonous," "reactive," "corrosive," or "flammable." Many of these products can be purchased in stores or online and are commonly used in our homes, garages, lawns, and gardens. It's easy to forget--or to simply not know-- that these common products can be extremely harmful to human health and the environment. Examples of household hazardous waste products include:
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Proper disposal of hazardous household waste
If you can't use up household hazardous products, dispose of it at an HHW facility or special collection event instead of dumping it down the drain or tossing it in the trash. Solid waste management entities are required to provide collection events or facilities to residents and small businesses. Local hazardous waste and special collection events happen three times each year.
Certain items such as paint, batteries, electronics, mercury thermostats and bulbs have convenient, year-round options for recycling at hardware stores, paint retailers, and some transfer stations. These waste products are managed with the assistance of product stewardship programs funded by their manufacturers. Search our Town Services list to find your local drop-off sites for these items.
Transporting Household Hazardous Waste:- NEVER mix products. Mixing products can cause explosive or poisonous chemical reactions.
- Keep products in their original container with the original label.
- Secure products so they won't tip or leak.
- Keep products away from children and animals.
- Store products in the back end of the car, away from the passenger compartment.
- Stay in your vehicle during unloading.
Consumer best practices
Before you buy:- Consider DIY cleaners (check out the Vermont Department of Health's Living Green Guide with recipes for many household cleaners).
- Read labels before purchasing products for words like "caution," "toxic," "danger," "hazard," "warning," "poisonous," "reactive," "corrosive," or "flammable."
- Choose non-toxic alternatives that have a third-party certification like EPA's Safer Choice, Green Seal, or ECOLOGO or select the least toxic products when possible.
- Choose the smallest container to meet your needs.
- Share products with neighbors or others so less is purchased overall.
At home:- Always store products in their original container with the original label.
- Store all toxic products away from children and animals in safe, tight, leak-proof containers.
- Store away from extreme temperatures
- Follow label directions and use only what is needed.
- NEVER mix products. Mixing products can cause explosive or poisonous chemical reactions.
- Never eat, drink, or smoke when handling hazardous materials.
- Clean up properly after use.
Vermont Battery Law + Call2Recycle Program
ALL batteries are banned from the landfill and are recyclable in Vermont through Call2Recycle. Call2Recycle serves as the approved battery stewardship organization in Vermont by offering recycling for all household batteries.
Vermont's new battery stewardship law provides free collection and recycling of rechargeable and single-use batteries less than 25 pounds or having a watt-hour rating of 2,000 watt-hours or less, damaged and defective lithium batteries, and regulates battery-containing products that have easily removeable batteries or are packaged with rechargeable or primary batteries.
Please take your batteries to a participating hardware store, your local transfer station, or your town hall (if your town doesn't have a transfer station).
Lead acid batteries (vehicle/boat/mower) are too large for the Call2Recycle program and should go to a local mechanic or auto parts store. For disposal of e-bike batteries, click here to search the nearest location that accepts them. While alkaline batteries are considered nonhazardous and can be placed in the trash in some areas, they are still best recycled when possibleVT's Paint Stewardship Law + PaintCare Program
Through Vermont's Paint Stewardship Law & PaintCare Program, residents can drop off accepted materials free-of charge at participating paint stores, transfer stations, and GUV HHW collection events.
Acceptable Items:- Waste oil, antifreeze and other auto fluids
- All paints, varnishes, and stains
- Cleaners
- Pool chemicals
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Solvents
- Fertilizer
- Asbestos (Call GUV to confirm.)
Non-acceptable Items:- Empty paint spray cans (scrap metal or trash)
- Empty, dry paint containers (trash)
- Smoke detectors (Recycle batteries, put detector in trash)
- Radioactive Material
- Fireworks
- Medical Waste (Ask pharmacist or physician)
- Computers or electronics (Transfer station)
- Ammunition (Gun dealer or local police)
- Fluorescent Bulbs (Hardware store or local recycling center)
- Mercury containing devices (Thermostats, thermometers, etc. – Call GUV)
GUVSWMD Paint Drop-off Sites:- The Hartford Recycling Center, 2590 North Hartland Road/Rte. 5, White River Junction
- Britton’s Lumber & Hardware, 56 US Rte. 4, Taftsville
- Aubuchon Hardware, 2745 US Rte. 5, Windsor
- Aubuchon Hardware, 3626 Route 14, South Royalton
- Fogg’s Lumber & Hardware, 301 Route 5 South, Norwich
- Oakes Brothers, Inc., Rte. 5 Lower Plain, Bradford
- The Norwich Transfer Station, 24 New Boston Rd. Norwich residents only.
- The VT State E-Cycling Law went into effect on Jan 1st, 2011. It bans the disposal of all electronic devices in the state’s landfills.
Electronic waste–televisions, computers, gaming systems, phones and other household electronics–are an increasing percentage of the solid waste stream. Electronic devices contain many hazardous materials such as lead and brominated flame retardants; they should not be disposed of in landfills.
To properly recycle your electronics, bring them to our North Hero, Bakersfield, Montgomery, or Georgia sites during regular business hours.
Televisions, computers, and computer peripherals are accepted FREE of charge. View a list of fees other electronics.
"Covered*" electronics such as computers, computer "peripherals" (including desktop printers), and TVs are banned from the landfill in Vermont. They are free to recycle at any participating transfer station. Anything else with a cord is "non-covered*" but is also banned from the landfill. Non-covered appliances may require a small fee to recycle. Ask at the facility where you drop them off. Try to donate working electronics to thrift stores or post them on Front Porch Forum or your local listserv. More information on electronics recycling is available here: Vermont E-Cycles. Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste
Most C & D “waste” can actually reused or recycled. Since Vermont generates over 100,000 tons of C&D waste each year, Vermonters' efforts to recycle or reuse project by-products make a big difference conserving resources and saving precious space in landfills.
Local and Statewide Law also dictate that certain C & D materials must be recycled instead of landfilled. That means they must not be mixed with land-full bound waste (trash) in any containers. Anyone found putting these items into landfill risks fines up to $500 per incident.
The following C & D items must be reused or recycled:- Plywood | Clean and unpainted only
- OSB (Oriented Strand Board) | Clean and unpainted only
- Asphalt Shingles | Asbestos-free only
- Scrap Metal
- Clean Lumber and Pallets
- Mandatory Recyclables | Including cardboard which must be kept clean and dry
Clean, untreated wood is banned from the landfill in Vermont.
Burning or burying construction waste is illegal. For disposal, contact:- Lebanon Solid Waste Facility (603) 298-6486
- Hammond Grinding and Recycling (603) 523-4353
Act 250 requires that the applicant submit a Construction Waste Management Plan for projects involving more than 5,000 square feet of construction and/or demolition. Applicants can devise a site-specific plan, or utilize construction specification in lieu of a plan, or may use this plan template.
Asbestos is a hazardous and potentially dangerous material if mishandled. Removal of asbestos in any form, friable or non-friable may cause respiratory damage if inhaled. Friable asbestos (soft and fibrous such as pipe insulation) is the most hazardous. Non-friable asbestos (often found in siding and roof shingles and floor tiles of certain vintage) is less likely to break into airborne particles and therefore is less hazardous. If you have asbestos wastes, search the web for “Asbestos Abatement & Removal,” “Asbestos Consulting & Testing,” or call the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources at (802) 241-3800 for further information.
Some forms of asbestos, such as tiles and roofing, do not need to be removed by a professional asbestos removal company, but disposal of these materials is very strict. Asbestos tiles, siding and roofing must be removed damp, wrapped securely in plastic and taken directly to a landfill or transfer station which accepts the materials.Handling asbestos
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire retardant. It can be found in vinyl flooring, patching compounds and textured paints, sprayed acoustic ceilings, acoustic ceiling tiles, pipe insulation, wall and ceiling insulation, roofing shingles and siding, and more.
Microscopic, asbestos fibers can be released into the air if products containing asbestos are disturbed. When inhaled into the lungs, these asbestos fibers can cause health problems including mesothelioma cancer, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Improper handing of asbestos-containing materials will increase your risk of developing these adverse health effects. You should not handle or dispose of asbestos yourself. The best way to handle, dispose of, and recycle asbestos is to hire a licensed asbestos abatement professional. For more information on asbestos, click here. For more information on handling, disposing and recycling asbestos, click here.Fluorescent light bulbs
(Mercury-Containing Light Bulbs)
Fluorescent bulbs contain mercury and should be disposed of at your local transfer station or a participating hardware store. They should NOT be thrown in the trash. The sale of fluorescent bulbs is now banned in the state of Vermont, except for specific purposes. LED bulbs do not contain mercury and may be thrown in the trash. GUV hopes that these bulbs will also be included in the state recycling program in the future. Older incandescent bulbs may go in the trash. They contain no hazardous material.
GUVSWMD Drop-off Sites for Mercury-Containing Items:
(Please call ahead before you go)
- Oakes Lumber & Hardware - 975 Lower Plain, Bradford (802) 222-5321
- Fogg’s Ace Hardware - Lake Morey Road, Fairlee (802) 333-4248
- Fogg’s Ace Hardware - 301 US Route 5 South, Norwich (802) 649-2958
- Hartford Transfer Station - 2590 N. Hartland Road, WRJ (802) 295-2673
- Aubuchon Hardware - 2745 US Route 5 North, Windsor (802) 244-7800
- Woodstock Home & Hardware - 452 E. Woodstock Road, Woodstock (802) 457-3291
How to dispose unused Rx medication in Vermont
Flushing medications or tossing them in the trash is a danger to our waterways and wildlife! Vermont makes it easy to get rid of your unused medication. There are over 80 locations statewide including pharmacies, health care facilities, and police departments that host free and easy-to-use kiosks for medication disposal. More information about where/when you can drop of your medication and what type of medication is accepted can be found by following the link below:
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