Welcome! Here you will find information on how to handle disposal of almost anything--in alphabetical order. If an item is not on this list, you have questions about what is listed, or you would like to add something to the list, please Contact Us. We're here to help!
For regular trash and recycling info, please use the links on the left.
Hazardous Waste Collections: For many items listed below, our recommendation is to take them to a hazardous waste collection. We urge you to do so. The District's Hazardous Waste Programs offer several ways to properly dispose of such materials.
INDEX
Aerosol Containers - When containers still have product in them or are still under pressure, most are considered hazardous waste and should be taken to a Hazardous Waste collection. Aerosol containers are steel cans; therefore, empty and depressurized aerosol containers can be recycled with other metal cans.
Agricultural Plastic - (bale wrap, etc.) Ag plastics should be managed as trash. Burning ag plastics or other types of farm garbage is strictly prohibited. And unfortunately, ag plastic is not recyclable at this time.
Ammunition - Ammunition cannot be brought to a Household Hazardous Waste collection. If the ammo is in useable condition, try to find someone who might use it--your police department, a gun shop, or a friend. If the ammo is old, wet, or corroded, your police department should be able to take it or advise you on how to dispose of it.
Animals - See "Dead Animals"
Antifreeze/Coolant - Coolant from vehicles (antifreeze), is considered hazardous waste and need to be taken to a Hazardous Waste collection. You might also want to check with your local auto service station to see if they will take antifreeze.
Appliances - Consider selling working appliances through the want ads, or give it away to someone who wants it. If no longer serviceable, appliances can be brought to The WSWMD Facility for a fee to be recycled.
Asbestos - Please see our Asbestos page.
Aseptic Food Containers - Aseptic food containers are plastic laminated boxes such as kids' juice boxes, soy-milk cartons, Parmalat boxes, and soup broth boxes. They are brick-shaped and look and feel like supple plastic. Aseptic packaging cannot be recycled through the regular recycling program and therefore must be disposed of as trash at this time.
Ashes - Ashes, wood or coal, can go in the trash if they are cold and bagged. There is a tremendous fire hazard in trash trucks, transfer stations, and the landfill, so every precaution must be taken that the ash is stone cold. Wetting ashes down before disposal is strongly recommended. In small quantities, ashes from raw lumber and clean wood can make a good amendment to compost.
Asphalt - [currently researching local gravel pits to see if any accept asphalt to be turned into RAP, "recycled asphalt product."]
Automobiles - Junk cars can be recycled and many scrap yards will collect them at no charge to you. Make sure that the scrap yard manages the hazardous automotive fluids (gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, battery, etc.) correctly. Look in the Yellow Pages under "Junk Dealers."
Ballasts - See "Light Ballasts"
Batteries - See info at http://www.wswmd.org/hazwastecc#batt.
Books - Several bookstores take used books for resale. Check at your local library and in the yellow pages under "Books, Used". Unfortunately, there is often more supply than demand for old books.
If nobody wants your books, or they are not in reusable condition, recycling might be an option. Paperbacks can go in the regular mixed paper recycling bin. For hard cover books, WSWMD sometimes has a temporary recycling program: give our office a call to see what is currently available.
Boxboard - Boxboard is a type of carton which is gray or brown when ripped. Examples of boxboard are cereal boxes, pasta boxes, cracker boxes, and toilet paper tubes. In WSWMD, recycle your boxboard along with your corrugated cardboard.
Cans - Metal food and beverage cans can be recycled. Please rinse your cans thoroughly. Labels no longer need to be removed. It is especially important to recycle aluminum cans--the environmental benefits are tremendous.
Cardboard - Corrugated cardboard can be recycled with the mixed paper or in "cardboard only" boxes. Please flatten the cardboard (i.e. break down the boxes) and be sure to place it inside the collection container, not on the ground. "Asian cardboard," distinctively yellowish in color and made in the Orient, is not accepted (because the cardboard fibers are very short and downgrade the quality of the other cardboard when recycled.)
Catalogs & Magazines - Catalogs, magazines and other glossy papers can be recycled with the mixed paper.
Christmas Trees - Christmas trees make excellent habitat for birds and other wildlife if left outside after the holidays. If you have land enough, leave your tree out to decay naturally over time. If you know anyone with goats, talk to them--goats love to eat Christmas trees!
At The WSWMD Facility, WSWMD provides free Chrismas tree mulching in season. Off-season, it is treated as yard waste.
Clothes - Reusable clothes and bedroom linens should be given a second chance, if possible.
- For clothing in excellent condition, try taking it to one of the consignment or thrift shops that exist locally.
- For clothing that is worn, has small tears, mildly stained, etc., recycle at The WSWMD Facility.
- For clothing that is unwearable or mildewed, please dispose of as trash.
Computers - Please see Computer and Electronics Recycling page our for information on our program.
We advocate recycling computers because there are a lot of recyclable resources in them, as well as lead and other heavy metals in the monitor and the green microchip boards. Our computer recycler does an excellent job of recycling all the different parts of the computer, while also ensuring that none of the material gets dumped as toxic waste in foreign countries. Also, many manufacturers have take back programs, usually for any brand computer. IBM, HP, and Dell all have programs.
Computer Disks - GreenDisk in Columbia, Missouri takes 3.5-inch computer disks, CDs, and videotapes for recycling. They ask you to mail them to their plant and include payment of $ .10 per pound with a $5 minimum. They refurbish or recycle what you send them. For instructions, go to http://www.greendisk.com or call them at 1-800-305-3475.
Construction & Demolition Materials - Waste materials generated during the construction or demolition of buildings is called "Construction & Demolition waste" or "C&D."
Reuse. Many building materials and fixtures can be reused. If you think your material could find another useful life, please consider donating it to one of these non-profits:
Renew Building Materials & Salvage, Inc.
http://www.renewsalvage.org
renew@sover.net
Town Crier Drive (Across from Shell station on Putney Rd)
Brattleboro,VT 05301
(802)246-2400
Store Hours: Friday & Saturday 9-5:30
Seeking donations of quality used doors, windows, sinks, tubs, cabinets, plumbing, lighting, hardware, tools, and more. Donation guidelines available online. Free pick-up available; please call with your particulars.
Vermont Business Materials Exchange
http://www.vbmx.org
info@vbmx.org or manager@vbmx.org
1580 Barber Pond Road, Pownal, VT 05261
Local: 802.823.9399
Toll-Free: 800.895.1930
Fax: 802.823.5228
Please visit the web site for detailed information about VBMX services.
Recycling. C&D waste can be recycled. The Agency of Natural Resources maintains a web site that lists many avenues for recycling, visit this site.
Disposal. Disposal of C&D is available at The WSWMD Facility for fees like regular trash. Many commercial waste services also offer C&D disposal. Brattleboro Salvage Transfer Station, 254-5133, or see our list of haulers for other services.
Dead Animals - When a pet or farm animal passes away there are several ways legally to handle them. According to the Vermont Department of Health you may bury the animal on your property as long as you take some precautions. The animal should be buried at least 100 feet from a water source and should be at least 2 feet underground and covered with 10 pounds of lime to discourage other animals from digging it up. Many veterinarians also provide a service for the disposal of animals and rendering companies will sometimes accept large animals. The game warden will pick up a deer or moose. Contact the state police to find the number of your local game warden.
Dry Cleaning Bags & Hangers - Some dry cleaners will take back dry cleaning bags and hangers for recycling and/or reuse. Ask your dry cleaners! Large quantities of hangers can also be recycled as scrap metal. PLEASE DO NOT put hangers in the recycling bins, they damage the sorting equipment.
Egg Cartons - If a neighbor has chickens, they might appreciate extra cartons. They also make great craft supplies. Egg cartons are not recyclable at this time and therefore go in the trash.
Electronics - Small working electrical appliances can be donated to thrift shops. Computers and some other electronics can be recycled through the WSWMD Computer and Electronics Recycling program. If not recyclable through this program, electronics are considered regular trash UNLESS they contain almost all metal, such as an old toaster oven. Remove any batteries and manage them as scrap metal.
Explosives - Explosives we might see in Vermont include dynamite for ditching or stumping around farms. Over time, the nitroglycerin leaches out of the TNT and becomes unstable. Contacting the state police is necessary, and they might contact ATF or their explosives disposal team. People should not be carrying around old dynamite.
Film Canisters - Some photo shops will take back film canisters for reuse or recycling when they accept your film for development. Ask at your local photo developer. Film canisters are not recyclable even if they have the little arrows on the bottom.
Fire Extinguishers - Fire extinguishers are not accepted at our household hazardous waste events. Fire extinguishers should be refilled or repressurized when possible (unfortunately, many household fire extinguishers sold today are not refillable). In the event that you cannot refill your common "ABC" compressed air, dry powder extinguisher, it should be de-pressurized and dismantled before disposal. Release the product into a trash receptacle then remove the valve by unscrewing from the canister. The metal canister, once de-pressurized and empty, can be managed as scrap metal. The powder and valve can go in the regular trash. Very old fire extinguishers (often brass or copper) can contain extremely hazardous substances. Please contact your local fire department for disposal options.
Fluorescent Lights - Fluorescent light tubes and high density discharge (HID) bulbs contain small amounts of mercury and are considered hazardous. Please see information at http://www.wswmd.org/hazwastecc#flb.
Food - First consider donating unwanted food to a local food bank who provides meals to the needy.
If the food is no longer edible, consider backyard composting. It reduces your trash costs, reduces use of the landfill, and can be great for your garden. See Composting Your Garbage.
Freon - Freon (a brand name we use to mean all refrigerants) is found in air conditioners and refrigeration units. By law, Freon cannot be released to the atmosphere but must be removed with special equipment. This is because the gases destroy the ozone in the atmosphere, leaving the Earth prone to higher levels of solar radiation. Please take your old refrigerator/freezer or air conditioner to The WSWMD Facility to be recycled for a fee, or use a scrap metal yard. BE CAREFUL not to puncture the tubes of the appliance and emit the gases into the atmosphere.
Furniture - Local thrift stores and rummage sales are a great outlet for your used furniture. In the warmer months we have a Swap Shop at the WSWMD Facility as another great outlet. If the furniture is beyond reuse, it can be taken to The WSWMD Facility as trash.
Gasoline - Waste gasoline is hazardous and highly flammable--please take it to a Hazardous Waste collection for proper disposal. DO NOT dump it on the ground, where it can get into the water supply: "if you dump it, you drink it."
Glass - Glass food and beverage containers can be recycled with your commingled recycling. Please rinse the containers thoroughly and throw away plastic caps (metal lids can be included in recycling). Labels do not need to be removed. Please do not recycle light bulbs, window glass, china, porcelain, crystal, ceramics, mirrors or drinking glasses with food and beverage glass.
Grocery Bags - If you accumulate a lot of paper or plastic grocery bags, consider switching to reusable sacks. They are easier to handle and reduce the amount of resources we use. Brown paper bags can be recycled with mixed paper or cardboard. Also, many "Mom & Pop" stores will accept clean brown bags for reuse. Some grocery stores accept plastic grocery sacks for recycling (e.g. Hannaford's). Look in the front of the store for a collection container. Be sure to put only plastic grocery bags into the collection container.
Junk Mail - Unwanted mail, white and colored office paper, envelopes, and cards (paper portions only, no plastic sleeves, sample CDs, etc.) can be recycled as mixed paper. If you find that you receive large quantities of mail which you do not want, contact the Mail Preference Service and say "please remove my name from all mailing lists." This needs to be done periodically to keep your name off the lists. They can be reached at (212) 768-7277, http://www.dmaconsumers.org, or:
Mail Preference Service/Direct Marketing Association
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512-0643
You can also stop the credit card offers. Call the credit bureaus to get your name off the shared list: (888) 567-8688. New Hampshire has a great information on more you can do, visit: http://www.des.state.nh.us/junkmail/.
Kerosene - Kerosene is flammable, and is considered a hazardous waste. Kerosene is accepted at the WSWMD Facility along with our motor oil program. See Hazardous Wastes Accepted at the WSWMD Facility.
Lead Paint Chips - Lead paint chips are considered hazardous waste and should be disposed of at a Hazardous Waste collection.
Leaves, Grass, and Other Yard Wastes - The best management technique is the oldest--make a pile and let them decompose into rich organic humus. Leaves are an excellent addition to kitchen scrap compost bins (the District sells compost bins--Contact Us). If you do not have a place to deal with them on your property, yard wastes are accepted at The WSWMD Facility for a fee.
Light Ballasts - Light Ballasts are the heavy black boxes found in some fluorescent light bulb fixtures. They can be recycled with scrap metal or thrown in the trash if they say "No PCBs" somewhere on them. Older ballasts contain capacitors whose oil contains hazardous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). If a ballast is unmarked, bring it to The WSWMD Facility so the PCBs will not be released into the environment. There is a per-ballast fee.
Magazines & Catalogs - If you have a magazine subscription that you read and then dispose of consider passing the magazine on to where more people will use it:
- Find a friend who wants to read that magazine, and give issues to him/her as you finish with them.
- Sometimes your local library or school would be glad to take each issue as you finish with it, as a gift subscription.
Catalogs, magazines and other glossy papers can be recycled with your regular recycling program. See also "Junk Mail" above.
Mercury-Containing Devices - See info at http://www.wswmd.org/hazwastecc#merc.
Metal - Scrap metal is recycled for a fee at The WSWMD Facility.
Mixed Paper - White and colored office paper, envelopes, magazines, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, and unwanted mail (paper portions only, no plastic sleeves, sample CDs, etc.) can be recycled as mixed paper. If you want to reduce the junk mail you receive, see junk mail.
Motor Oil - When used oil is dumped on the ground or poured down the drain, it becomes a serious pollutant of our ground and surface waters. Remember, "if you dump it, you drink it!" Please take your used motor oil to a service station that recycles it or use the program at the WSWMD Facility. See info at http://www.wswmd.org/hazwastecc#oil.
Needles - To dispose of syringes safely ask your physician if he or she will take back used syringes for disposal. Also ask your pharmacy if they participate in a needle return program. If neither your physician nor your pharmacy provides a collection system for you, you can bring them to the District's Syringe Collection Program at the WSWMD Facility for no charge.
Newspaper - Newspaper can be recycled with mixed paper. Please no twine or string in the collection containers. Once newspaper is spoiled with paint, puppy pee, etc., it should be disposed of as trash.
Office Paper - White office paper is a valuable recyclable. Please be sure to recycle as much as you can. It goes in the commingled paper bin.
Oil Filters - Oil filters can be brought into The WSWMD Facility for draining and recycling. There is no charge to residents. Commercial enterprises using the service are charged a nominal per filter fee.
Oily Soil - Oil contamination of soil often happens under outdoor storage tanks or from leaky heavy equipment such as skidders. A large patch of oil-contaminated soil could be a serious environmental condition. In such cases, we recommend hiring an environmental consultant to assess the site and provide recommendations. For minor spots, landowners can treat the soil themselves, as the oil will degrade with encouragement. Place the soil on a plastic tarp, and add manure (the nitrogen helps speed degradation). Turn the soil to aerate and mix every few months until the soil is clean again.
Paint & Paint Products - Paint and paint products can be hazardous to humans and the environment if disposed of improperly. The District has a year-round Paint Drop-Off Program for oil-based paints, stains, urethanes, and enamels.
Empty Paint Cans - Empty paint cans are not hazardous waste. Empty, dry metal cans (with less than 1/2 inch of dry paint residue in bottom of can) can be recycled as scrap metal. Empty, dry plastic cans can be thrown in the trash.
Latex paint - First try to find a friend or neighbor who can use the paint. Full cans of good paint may be brought to the Swap Shop at the WSWMD Facility during its open season. If the paint is unusable or no one wants it, the paint can be hardened and thrown in the trash. To harden, add kitty litter or dry sawdust, stir and leave open in warm weather. It can also be left open to harden without any additives, but this can take a long time.
Pesticides and Herbicides - Thanks to grant funding through the Vermont Department of Agriculture, the District is able to take pesticides and herbicides from Vermont residents, farmers, and businesses free of charge. This is part of a program to remove old pesticides and herbicides from barns, basements, store rooms, and garages around the state. Please take your pesticides and herbicides to one of our hazardous waste collection events.
Phone Books - Phone books can be recycled with commingled paper.
Pizza Boxes - There are two kinds of pizza boxes: ones made of corrugated cardboard, and ones made of boxboard.
- The corrugated boxes can be recycled if the box does not have significant food waste remaining. If there is cheese stuck all over the bottom, or big greasy stains, the box should be put in the regular household trash.
- The boxboard boxes, made of a single ply of cardboard like a cereal box, is not recyclable in the District.
Plastics - Bottles only! The only plastic recyclable in the District is plastic bottles. Check the neck! If the opening is smaller than the base, it's a bottle, and it's recyclable in the District. Otherwise, please dispose of plastic as trash.
- Caps should be thrown away.
- Do not recycle motor oil jugs or chemical containers, treat as trash.
- You can flatten the bottles if you need to save space.
- Some grocery stores (e.g. Hannaford's) will accept grocery bags for recycling.
- Some dry cleaners will accept dry cleaning bags for recycling.
- See also Aseptic Food Containers.
Non-recyclable plastics
Just because an item has a recycling symbol on it doesn't mean it's recyclable, unfortunately. There are hundreds of different types of plastics and limited markets to recycle them. In the future, markets for these other plastics may make them recyclable.
Rags and Oily Rags - Rags are generally not accepted at rummage sales nor through textiles recycling. Use them well, see if your mechanic wants them, or make a quilt. When too far gone, they can go in regular trash. Oily rags from home workshops or art studios present a fire hazard as well as a air pollution hazard. Keep them in a fire-safe, closed container, then bring them to one of our hazardous waste collection events.
Railroad Ties - Railroad ties can be disposed of with construction and demolition wastes (see above).
Rendering - Oils and fats from large cooking operations can be collected and beneficially reused. Ask the company which supplies you with the oils to recommend a collection agent. Use of vegetable oils for fuel in converted diesel cars is increasing, Contact Us for the latest developments.
Smoke Detectors - Some smoke detectors contain a small amount of radioactive material called americium 241 (am-er-ish'-ee-um). Look on the back of the unit for the designation Am 241. Because they are radioactive, they are not permitted in the landfill. Nor can they be brought to a hazardous waste collection -- radioactive material is covered under an entirely different set of regulations from hazardous waste so the contractor cannot accept it. Smoke detectors can be returned to the manufacturer for recycling and disposal. First Alert brand detectors can be sent to:
First Alert/BRK
Attention: Recycling
3920 Enterprise Court
Aurora, IL 60504
Styrofoam - Remember, the District only recycles plastic bottles, so styrofoam is NOT recyclable.
Food Related - Polystyrene (PS#6) plastic--found under meats, and in clam-shell type packaging--currently has no recycling market for our area.
Packing Materials - Styrofoam packing peanuts and packing blocks cannot be recycled at this time. Consider giving them to a local business who could use them to ship their products.
Tanks - Pressurized tanks which are empty or which no longer work (propane, butane, oxygen, etc.) should be returned to the retailer or manufacturer. Some retailers take your used tank when you buy a new one, even if the old one wasn't theirs. For grill tanks, swapping them at a department store or convenience store is a good bet, as they often save you money on a new tank with the new "over-fill protection" valve.
Televisions - Televisions can be recycled through the District's Computer and Electronics Recycling program. Otherwise, TVs can be disposed of as trash if your regular trash service can take them.
Thermometers and Thermostats - Thermometers with silver liquid in them, and many thermostats (non-digital), contain mercury. These should be handled as hazardous waste and can be brought in to the WSWMD Facility. See our info at http://www.wswmd.org/hazwastecc#merc.
Tires - The District recycles tires at The WSWMD Facility for a per-tire fee. Some Towns sponsor tire collection, call your clerk to see. Many tire retailers also accept tires from the general public for reasonable fees.
Toner Cartridges - Ink jet and laser printer cartridges, and typewriter cartridges and ribbons, can be often be re-filled and reused. However, they cannot be recycled with regular plastics, even if there is a "chasing arrows" number on the cartridge. Ink jet cartridge recyclers often give revenues to charitable organizations to encourage recycling.
- Ink jet cartridge recycling for charities (we may be able to provide you with mailing envelopes if you are a District resident or business, Contact Us).
- Black Lightning, (West Topsham) 800-252-2599
- Vermont Toner Recharge, (Burlington) 802-864-7637
- Cartridge Care of Vermont, (Winooski) 802-655-9774
- Full Circle Image of Vermont, (Randolph) 802-782-6095
- Lasertech, (West Burke) 802-626-9947
- McAuliffe, Inc., (Burlington) 802-642-5131
- Ribbon Recyclers, (Williston) 802-660-8960
Toner cartridges from photocopiers often cannot be refilled or recycled. These can be safely disposed of in the regular trash.
Toys - Toys which are in usable condition can find a home with a child. Local day care centers often appreciate donations of toys in good repair. Check at day care centers near you. Also, thrift shops or the Swap Shop at the WSWMD Facility will often take toys in good condition. If they are not in usable condition, toys can be thrown in the regular trash.
Trash - See our page Trash Services in the District.
It is illegal to burn trash in the State of Vermont for very good reasons--it pollutes the air right a ground level for all of us to breathe. It is also illegal to bury trash on your own property, or dump or deposit it anywhere other than a legally certified disposal facility.
Trees and Brush - If you can find a way to cut trees and brush into small pieces on or very close to the ground, they will decompose in place while providing habitat for many small creatures. When such a solution is not feasible, The WSWMD Facility takes tree and brush waste for a fee. See also, Christmas Trees.
Wood Ash - Spread in a thin layer on your lawn, wood ash can aid in lawn growth. It can also be added in small amounts to a compost pile. If completely cool, wood ash can be disposed of as trash. There is a tremendous fire hazard in trash trucks and the landfill, so every precaution must be taken that the ash is stone cold.
Wrapping Paper - Most wrapping paper is recyclable, and can be recycled with your commingled paper. However, certain types of wrapping paper are not recyclable. These include Mylar (or shiny plastic foil), metallic foil, paper with imbedded heavy glitter or felt. Remove ribbons and bows before recycling.
Yard Waste - The District recommends composting of yard wastes when possible. See "Leaves, Grass, and Other Yard Wastes".
Windham Solid Waste Management District
327 Old Ferry Rd., Brattleboro, VT 05301
Phone (802)257-0272 | Fax 257-5122 | E-mail recycle@wswmd.org