Household Hazardous Waste

Proper management and disposal of household hazardous waste (HHW) are crucial aspects of protecting water quality. When hazardous waste is improperly treated, it can lead to chemical leaching in soils and water bodies, impacting the health of plants, humans, and wildlife. The best way to prevent pollution from HHW is to reduce waste generation and handle any waste in accordance with state guidelines.

Wolfeboro has recently joined the Lakes Region Planning Commission’s HHW program. For information on collection dates and the accepted items for disposal, visit their HHW webpage here. This site provides local options for HHW disposal.

Navigate to specific topics on this page here:

What is Household Hazardous Waste?

Household hazardous waste (HHW) is a category of household products that includes pesticides, electronics, medications, cleaners, and more. Hazardous products have at least one of the following properties:

• Ignitability: Combustible, easily set on fire or ignited.
• Corrosivity/caustic: Burns and destroys living tissue on contact.
• Toxicity/poison: Capable of causing injury or death through ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin.
• Reactivity: Becomes toxic, flammable, or corrosive by exposure to heat, sudden shock, or when mixed with another product.

When improperly handled or disposed of, HHW can be dangerous and contaminate air, soil, and water. These products are required by federal law to list warnings and information on use, storage, and disposal on the product container. If you are unsure if a product is hazardous, look for “Danger”, “Keep out of reach of children”, “Warning”, and “Caution”. Items like hobby products are not always subject to the same federal requirements for labelling, so you may need to do some research if you’re uncertain.

Guidelines to reduce and dispose of different types of household hazardous waste:

General HHW Management

Use hazardous products properly according to the label. For more specific guidelines, visit here.

• Read labels when shopping and opt for non-toxic or less toxic alternatives when possible.
• Buy only the amount you need to avoid storing leftover product.
• Read the label carefully before use, paying attention to directions for use, storage, and disposal instructions.
• If you end up with leftover product, see if you can share it with friends or neighbors to use it up.
• Never burn, bury, flush down toilets or drains, pour outside, or throw HHW in the regular trash.

Batteries

Some batteries, and the electronics that they power, are classified as hazardous waste. Batteries contain metals that can leach and contaminate groundwater when they end up in landfills. Mercury and cadmium pose an added risk due to the volatile elements released during incineration. Any leaking batteries should be placed in a sealed plastic bag before disposal. Battery disposal varies based on the type of battery:

• Alkaline Batteries: Newer alkaline batteries (sold after May 13, 1996) no longer have added mercury, and can be disposed of in the regular trash. They will be marked with a green stripe, green tree, “Hg free”, or an expiration date later than 1998. If the alkaline batteries are older and missing these markings, they should be specially disposed of at a recycling facility or a municipal HHW collection.
• Zinc Carbon/Zinc Chloride Batteries: Non-hazardous and safe to dispose of in regular trash.
• Lithium Batteries: Hazardous, potentially reactive, and should be brought to a collection center or municipal HHW collection.
• Button Cell Batteries: Often contain mercury or other hazardous metals, and should be brought to a collection center, recycling facility, or a municipal HHW collection.

The following batteries are types of rechargeable batteries, often built into rechargeable electronic devices. They are recyclable at designated facilities and should not be placed in regular trash. To find locations that accept recyclable batteries, visit Call2Recycle here.

• Lithium Ion Batteries
• Nickel-cadmium batteries
• Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries
• Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries (Pb): Must be less than 2lbs to recycle.

Medicine & Pharmaceuticals

Learn how to dispose of common medications by reading the tabs below. For more information on IV treatment, chemotherapy drugs, and sharps, see the full information sheet from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services here.

• Bring expired and unused medications to a drug drop box. These can be found frequently at police stations and some pharmacies. This link will connect you to a list of drug drop box locations in NH.
• Take advantage of National Drug Take Back Days. Every April and October, over 100 locations in NH participate in collecting unneeded pharmaceuticals so they can be properly disposed of.
• All medicines kept in the home should be stored securely.
• Don’t flush medications down the toilet or drain.

Reduce pharmaceutical waste:

• Only purchase as much medication as needed. Excess will expire and will need to be disposed of. Eliminate the need for disposal by reducing the amount of medication kept stored in the home.
• Say ‘No’ to samples if you won’t use them, and remove yourself from junk mailing lists that offer samples to prevent receiving unnecessary products.
• Keep all medications in one location. This will help you track what you have and reduce the possibility of accidental overbuying.

Motor Oil

Used motor oil presents a serious environmental hazard when handled improperly. It should not be disposed of in the trash, drains, or on the ground. It only takes one pint of oil to produce a one-acre slick in on surface water. Instead:

• Pour used oil into a suitable container. These can be purchased, or you can use a sturdy, clean, preferably clear container with a closeable lid, such as a plastic milk jug. Do not use a container that previously contained other household chemicals, such as bleach.
• Label the container “Used Oil”, and don’t mix it with any other wastes.
• Bring the sealed container to a collection facility. Many automotive shops offer free recycling for used oil.

Smoke Detectors

Many smoke detectors use ionization technology to detect fires, meaning they contain a small amount of radioactive material. Smoke detectors with this feature will be labeled with a warning on the bottom (the side that faces the ceiling when mounted). If there is no warning on the device, you can assume that it does not contain radioactive material, unless it appears that a label has been removed or tampered with.

• Never dispose of radioactive material in the regular trash.
• Contact the manufacturer to see if they offer a take-back program for end-of-life smoke detectors. Ideally, you will be able to ship them back to the manufacturer.
• When purchasing new smoke detectors, opt to purchase from a company that offers a take-back program to recycle the waste. Read more on smoke detector disposal and take-back policies of some of the major manufacturers here.

Paint

Paint and related products, such as paint thinners and strippers, often contain hazardous materials. There are different disposal practices for different paint products.

For more information on how to reduce paint pollution and reduce the need for disposal management, take a look at this NHDES fact sheet.