PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release – June 7, 2023
Contact:
Mia Roethlein, Environmental Analyst
Department of Environmental Conservation
802-522-5926, Mia.Roethlein@vermont.gov
A Guide to Spring Cleaning: “What Do I Do with This?”
Montpelier, Vt. – Spring has arrived and it's the perfect time for some cleaning. The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) encourages residents to properly dispose or recycle unwanted household items.
“As you clean out your basement, attic, or garage this spring, be sure to keep hazardous and recyclable materials out of the trash,” said DEC Commissioner John Beling. “The proper disposal of these items helps protect our communities and environment from dangers like toxic chemical leakages and battery fires.”
Unwanted items like old TVs, leftover fluorescent light bulbs, mercury thermostats, leftover paint, and expired batteries can be taken to free special recycling locations across the state. Visit DEC’s VTrecycles.com and click on the orange “Special Recycling” symbol to find a nearby collection location.
Special recycling collections save natural resources, reduce carbon emissions and waste, and provide materials that are made into new products, like Local Color Paint, appliances, and batteries.
Disposing of household hazardous waste (HHW) including any household, automotive, lawn, or garden products labelled ‘caution, toxic, danger, hazard, warning, poisonous, reactive, corrosive, or flammable is an important step in personal and public safety. Vermonters can bring HHW to collection events or HHW facilities. Residents can learn about local collections from their waste district or town’s website at 802recycles.com.
“Store any unwanted or leftover products safely until you can bring them to a special recycling location or a household hazardous waste collection event or facility in your region,” said Anne Bijur, the DEC Materials Management Section Supervisor.
For other spring cleaning questions, people can explore the DEC’s “What Do I Do With This?” website, which explains how to get rid of items like tires, scrap metal, medications, and more. People can also learn what to do with things locally by exploring their waste district, alliance, or town’s A-Z Guide, an online, searchable list of items and what to do with them.
Learn more at VTrecycles.com or call 802-828-1138. If Mia Roethlein is not available, contact Anne Bijur at 802-522-5783 or Anne.Bijur@vermont.gov.
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The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for protecting Vermont's natural resources and safeguarding human health for the benefit of this and future generations. Visit dec.vermont.gov and follow the Department of Environmental Conservation on Facebook and Instagram.