Household Hazardous Waste - E-cycling- Document Shredding

Acceptable household hazardous waste and e-cycling items include:

• Acids
• Aerosols
• Antifreeze
• Asbestos tile
• Batteries
• Cleaning chemicals
• Drain openers
• Fluorescent light bulbs
• Furniture stripper
• Stains
• Varnish
• Fertilizer
• Lighter fluid
• Mercury thermometers and mercury containing devices
• Moth balls
• Motor oil
• Paint
• Pesticides and
• Poisons
• Roofing tar
• Solvents/thinners
• Transmission fluids
• Windshield wiper and
• Brake fluids
• Wood preservatives

Electronics Recycling Acceptable Items:

• Audio/visual equipment
• Audio cassettes
• Camcorders
• CD Rom drives CDs/DVDs
• Cell Phones
• Computers and monitors
• Connectors / Cords / Wire
• Copy machines
• Fax machines
• Floppy drives Hard drives
• Memory chips
• Network / Video / Sound cards
• Pagers
• Power supplies
• Printers
• Scrap computer plastic 
• Scrap computer metal
• Tape drives
• TVs
• VCRs
• VCR tapes
• Video games & Software

Unacceptable household hazardous waste and e-cycling items include:

• Air conditioners (Call 311 for a bulk trash collection appointment.)
• Ammunition (Take to the closest police station.)
• Explosives (Take to the closest police station.)
• Latex paint (Dry out and place in the trash.)
• Medicine (Place the medicine in the trash. The empty bottle can be placed in your recycling container after removing the identification label from the bottle.)
• Microwave ovens (Call 311 for a bulk trash collection appointment.)
• Tires (Up to four tires may be taken to the Ft. Totten Trash Transfer Station, weekdays from 1 pm to 5 pm and every first Saturday between 8 am and 3 pm.)
• Wooden TV cabinets or consoles (Call 311 for a bulk trash collection appointment.)

How to dispose of prescription drugs*

• Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers
• Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable substance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, further ensuring that the drugs are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets
• Throw these containers in the trash or recycling cart
• Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the accompanying patient information specifically instructs it is safe to do so
• Return unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs to pharmaceutical take-back locations that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for safe disposal

*Based on recommendations of the FDA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

Household Hazardous Waste/E-cycling/Document Shredding services are offered on the first Saturday of the month (except holidays), between 8 am and 3 pm, with an additional Household Hazardous Waste/E-Cycling drop-off on the Thursday preceding the first Saturday of the month (except holidays), between 1pm and 5pm. at the Ft. Totten Transfer Station, 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE. The Thursday drop-off is to accommodate residents whose religious beliefs prevent them from bringing these items to the regularly scheduled drop-off held the first Saturday of the month.

The Department of Public Works makes it easy for residents to dispose properly of household hazardous waste (HHW) and unwanted electronic equipment (e-waste). Throwing them into the trash, pouring them down the drain, or getting rid of them in other improper ways can pollute the environment and pose a threat to human health, as well as to the health of your family pets and DPW workers. 

The District is the first jurisdiction in the region to offer free document shredding for residents, thus relieving them of either purchasing their own shredder (and running the risk that young children might harm themselves if they try to play with it), or waiting for an infrequently offered community-based shredding event. Documents for shredding will not be accepted on Thursdays.

Here is a list of the 2012 HHW dates.

What is household hazardous waste? 

HHW applies to any leftover household products that are poisonous and/or can:

• Burn or cause a fire.
• Eat away materials.
• Destroy living tissue on contact.
• Cause an explosion or release poisonous fumes when exposed to air, water or other chemicals.
• Damage or destroy cells and chromosomal material.

E-cycling unwanted computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers and fax machines prevents releasing dangerous substances, such as lead and mercury into the environment. DPW is ready to accept residents’ old electronics at either transfer station or call 311, the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center, for a bulk collection appointment. In addition to providing HHW/e-cycling and document shredding on Saturdays, the transfer station provides residents with compost between March and October and they will accept a small number of bulk items: Ft. Totten Trash Transfer Station at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, weekdays from 1 pm to 5 pm and every first Saturday of the month between 8 am and 3 pm, except holidays.

HHW is taken to a US Environmental Protection Agency-approved facility for processing, recycling or disposal. E-waste is broken down into its component parts; precious/toxic metals are extracted, and then the various materials are recycled or disposed of safely.

How You Can Help

• Buy only what you need and use all of what you buy.
• Purchase non-hazardous products, such as biodegradable bathroom cleaners, when available.
• Keep HHW products in their original packaging and make sure the containers cannot leak or tip over as you take them from your home to a disposal site.
• Many electronic products can be reused, restored, or recycled.
• Latex paint is NOT HAZARDOUS. If you have unused latex paint, remove the lid and let it dry out. Then place the can in the trash. You can speed up the drying process by adding some kitty litter to the paint.

Service Need

The Department of Public Works makes it easy for residents to dispose properly of household hazardous waste, unwanted electronic equipment and personal documents for shredding.

Service at a Glance

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Related Services

• Bulk Trash Collection
• Residential Recycling Collection

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