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Household Hazardous Waste
****2023 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event: June 17th, 8am-12pm****
DPW Building, 500 East Street
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO REDUCE IT
What is Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)?
To Learn More About HHW - CLICK HERE
Many chemicals, materials, and products commonly found in the home are toxic and can be harmful to your health and our environment. Some leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic are considered household hazardous waste. Products, such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them. Learn how to handle these items with care, and recycle or dispose of them responsibly at EPA Guide to Household Hazardous Waste.
Not sure what to do with what you have?
The Guide to Safely Managing Hazardous Household Products provides information about the health and environmental hazards associated with more than 25 chemicals, materials, and products commonly found in the home, and explains how to handle them safely and recycle or dispose of them responsibly.
Guide to Safely Managing Hazardous Household Products
Waste Wizard – How to Dispose of an Item?
The Town of Mansfield is excited to make available to its residents a powerful new tool that directs users on how to dispose of almost any item.
Please visit our widget here - Waste Wizard
If you can't attend the HHW Collection Event, the following link lists locations where you can bring your HHW.
Find a Collection Facility Near You
Disposal
Improper disposal can pollute air, water, or soil and pose a threat to human health.
To avoid the potential risks associated with household hazardous wastes, always monitor the use, storage, and disposal of products with potentially hazardous substances in your home. Improper disposal of HHW includes pouring them down the drain, on the ground, into storm sewers, or putting them out with the regular trash. The next Mansfield Household Hazardous Waste collection day is currently scheduled for 2023.
Until then, certain household hazardous waste can be disposed of as follows:
- Mercury Collection (Button Batteries, Thermometers, thermostats, and fluorescent lights
- Paint (Latex and Oil based)
- Pressure Treated Wood
- Reducing HHW in Your Home
Mercury is a natural heavy metal that is toxic to people and wildlife. It is found in button batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, thermometers, thermostats, and a range of other products. Mercury-containing products cannot be disposed of in the trash. For more information about mercury visit: https://keepmercuryfromrising.org/
Mercury button batteries, thermometers and thermostats can be dropped off at the Health Department for proper disposal. The Health Department is located:
6 Park Row
Town Hall, First Floor
Mansfield, MA 02048
If you have a large quantity of bulk mercury, please do not move it or bring it to the Health Department. Contact us at 508-261-7366 and we will have the mercury safely removed.
Fluorescent lights are collected at Mansfield Green. Link to Mansfield Green HERE.
Latex paints can be thrown in the trash provided there is no free liquid. Leave tops off to dry out or mix the paint with speedi-dry or kitty litter until there is no free liquid. After completely dry, this can go in the trash.
All solvents or oil based paints/stains must be disposed on hazardous waste day. This date is determine by the Board of Health.
FAQs on Pressure treated wood:
FAQ on Pressure Treated Wood from Mass.Gov
Guidance for Outdoor Wooden Structures:
Consider reducing your purchase of products that contain hazardous ingredients. Learn about the use of alternative methods or products—without hazardous ingredients—for some common household needs. When shopping for items such as multipurpose household cleaners, toilet cleaners, laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwashing machine pods and gels, bug sprays and insect pest control, consider shopping for environmentally friendly, natural products or search online for simple recipes you can use to create your own.
Additional information is available from EPA’s Safer Choice program.