Household Hazardous Waste

Yellow banner with four containers of products that are household hazardous waste. The text says: "every home has dangerous products. Be Aware. Dispose with Care. Buy Safer Alternatives. Use up what you have. Dispose Safely.

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 common products that can be considered household hazardous waste include:

Automotive Supplies: antifreeze, autobody filler, brake fluid, gasoline, grease, motor oil, used oil filters, solvents, transmission fluid, wax.
Health and Beauty Products: hair dyes, nail polish and remover.
Home Improvement Supplies: glues, paint and thinner, roofing tar, stains, strippers, varnish.
Household Cleaners: ammonia, chlorine bleach, drain openers, furniture polish, oven cleaners, rug and upholstery cleaners, tub and tile cleaners.
Garden Supplies: fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, poisons.
Hobby Supplies: chemistry sets, photographic chemicals, pool chemicals, pottery glaze.
Mercury-Containing Devices: ballasts and capacitors, fluorescent light bulbs, thermometers and thermostats.
Miscellaneous: some batteries, flea powder and shampoo, propane cylinders, road flares.
Nicotine, including e-cigarettes: UNUSED nicotine patches, lozenges, gum, inhalers, or sprays, cartridges or refills.

Yellow banner with a hand holding a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner with a warning label. The text says "buy safer alternatives."

Handling Household Hazardous Waste at Home

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.

Visit Vermont Department of Health's Healthy Homes page for more simple steps to keep your home, and everyone in it, healthy and safe.

Yellow banner with a box containing three household hazardous waste products. The box is labeled "for proper disposal." The text reads "use up what you have. Dispose with care,"

Proper Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste

If you can't use up household hazardous waste, dispose of it at an HHW facility or 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.

Residents: Contact your local solid waste management entity for a list of year round drop off locations and dates of seasonal collection events.

Small Businesses: Businesses which have Very Small Quantity Generator Status can contact your local solid waste management entity about collection of your hazardous waste.

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. See additional details on our Product Stewardship page or our What Do I Do With... page.

Pharmaceuticals can be disposed of at annual events or year-round drop off centers. The Agency of Health website has a map of permanent drug disposal sites in Vermont.

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.

What do Businesses Need to Know?

Small businesses that are notified as Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQGs) may use HHW collection events and facilities. Please refer to the Hazardous Materials Program for assistance, and direct any questions to:

Drew Youngs, Hazardous Materials Program. andrew.youngs@vermont.gov, 802-461-5929

What do Schools Need to Know?

All schools need to manage their hazardous materials properly.

Are You a Facility?

Here is some guidance on what to do with abandoned HHW material.

Vermont's Household Hazardous Waste EPR Law

Vermont's new Household Hazardous containing product stewardship law will begin in January 2025. Manufacturers of certain household hazardous products will assist solid waste management entities with the collection costs for these hazardous products. See this HHW EPR page.