The HHW Depot: A Permanent, Seasonal Drop-Off (Open May-October)
WSWMD’s Household Hazardous Waste Depot: (Appointments are required)
To make an appointment for our HHW depot, please click here to register online or call 802-257-0272 during regular business hours.
There is a $15 fee per resident for up to 3 gallons of hazardous waste. The final volume will be determined at check-in, so please be prepared to pay additional fees for larger quantities. Staff will determine final fees based on the materials and quantities presented at check-in.
Paint is not included in the gallon count and is accepted free of charge for recycling, and motor oil is charged separately.
For safety and identification purposes, please package materials so that all contents are visible and can be easily identified by staff upon arrival. Please ensure that all items in your load are household hazardous waste intended for disposal and that no unrelated materials are included.
No access sticker is required for HHW drop-offs. However, the collection depot is open to residents and businesses** in the following district towns: Brattleboro, Brookline, Dover, Dummerston, Guilford, Halifax, Jamaica, Marlboro, Newfane, Putney, Readsboro, Somerset, Stratton, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro, Westminster, and Wilmington.
**Businesses, schools, and institutions generating less than 220 pounds of hazardous waste per month can participate but must register in advance. Please go to this page to register.
When you arrive, do not get in the scale line. Please look to the left as you enter, by the clothes bins, and an employee will come to your vehicle and help you unload.
What is Household Hazardous Waste?
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) can be identified by keywords on the container label: “danger,” “warning,” “caution,” “flammable,” “caustic,” “poison,” and “skull and crossbones.” The container may also indicate the health or environmental hazard of the product by using the following terms: “flammable,” “combustible,” “poison,” “caustic,” and “irritant.”
Not all household cleaners are hazardous and can be thrown out in your regular trash. Read the labels! Non-toxic products, eco-green cleaners, and biodegradable cleaners are trash.
The following materials are banned from the landfill and must be brought to our Hazardous Waste Collection Depot. (Empty containers of hazardous materials are trash and should be disposed of properly, but never recycled.)
- Acetone
- Acids (hydrochloric, muriatic, etc.)
- Adhesives
- Aerosol cans, acrylic & auto paints (spray paint, rubber undercoating)
- Ammonia
- Antifreeze
- Bleach (cleaners containing bleach)
- Brake fluid
- Car wax & polishes
- Chemistry sets
- Cleaners/spot removers
- Diesel fuel
- Drain & toilet cleaners
- Driveway sealer
- Fertilizer (chemical)
- Flares
- Fuel additives
- Gasoline (old, contaminated, unused, mixed)
- Hand sanitizer
- Heating oil & sludge (please make an appointment for large quantities)
- Herbicides
- Insecticides
- Kerosene
- Mercury products (elemental)
- Mothballs
- Motor Oil-Clean (used or unused)—$1 per gallon
- Motor Oil—Contaminated (dirt, water, antifreeze, unknowns- in any size containers) – $10 per gallon
- Paint thinners & strippers- (turpentine, mineral spirits, “Gamsol”)
- Pesticides
- Pool & spa chemicals
- Roofing tar (if dried up, it would be trash)
- Solvents
- Transmission fluid (& other automotive fluids)
- Unknowns—please call or make an appointment for unknown chemicals
- Weed & grass killer
When in doubt, read the label. If it says “caustic,” “flammable,” “corrosive,” “danger,” “hazardous,” or “poison,” or has the skull and crossbones symbol, it’s hazardous! Please note that empty containers are trash and cannot be recycled.
To make an appointment for our HHW depot, please click here to register online or call 802-257-0272 during regular business hours.
These materials are hazardous and not allowed in the trash but are not typically accepted at the HHW Depot. Please bring these to the scale house during regular business hours:
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Fire Extinguishers
- Fluorescent lights
- Mercury-containing thermostats
- Motor Oil (year-round drop-off, Tuesdays only)
- Paint
- Propane tanks, helium tanks, foam insulation tanks
- Radioactive waste (smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors)
- Sharps/Needles (syringes)
You are welcome to bring other items with you at your HHW appointment, but understand that the above items may require a visit to the scale house for payment and processing