Virtually all households have some household hazardous waste (HHW). HHW is generally defined as a household waste that is toxic, flammable, reactive or corrosive. Common HHW includes oil-based paints, thinners, pool chemicals, pesticides, mercury fever thermometers, and gasoline. Household hazardous waste collection programs provide an opportunity to manage these wastes in an environmentally safe manner and dispose of all those nasty items we tend to accumulate in our kitchens, basements, garages, sheds, and workshops. Since the first collection in 1984 in Ridgefield, HHW programs have grown dramatically. Collections are available for nearly every resident and, on average, over 30,000 state residents participate in a HHW collection each year!
Manchester is the home of a regional center for household hazardous waste collection. This center, built with grant funding from the Department of Environmental Protection, is operated by the Capitol Region East Operating Committee (CREOC) adjacent to the Manchester Landfill on Olcott Street. Residents of Ellington, Glastonbury, Hebron, Marlborough, Somers, South Windsor, Stafford, and Vernon are also able to use the Center. The Center is staffed by trained professionals from a licensed hazardous waste management firm. There is NO CHARGE to any resident of any of the participating towns listed above to use the center.
This is your opportunity to safely dispose of paints, stains, acids, automotive fluids, insecticides, herbicides, fertilizers, chemicals, household cleaning products, and other household hazardous materials which may have accumulated at your home, in your basement, or garage. To minimize the use of hazardous material, check out the resource that's linked below!
Household Alternatives for a Safer Environment
Dos & Don'ts
- Bring a DRIVER’S LICENSE, TAX BILL OR CAR REGISTRATION to prove residency.
- Leave all materials in their ORIGINAL containers.
- Follow the rules listed under the Acceptable & Unacceptable Items section, below.
- DO NOT BRING in used/waste motor oil or antifreeze. These are NOT hazardous waste. They can be brought to your Town's Transfer Station and/or certain automotive stores. More information can be found on the CT DEEP website, linked below, if your Town does not have a Transfer Station or offer collection for these fluids.
What do I do with?...
Acceptable & Unacceptable Items
Acceptable Household Hazardous Waste
- Aerosol cans
- Brake Fluid
- Chemical Paint Strippers
- Chemistry Kits
- Cleaning Fluids
- Compact Florescent Lightbulbs
- Degreasers
- Fertilizers
- Flammable Liquids
- Flea Powder, Dips & Sprays
- Florescent Bulbs
- Fungicides
- Gasoline
- Hair Dye & Spray
- Hearing Aid Batteries
- Herbicides
- Household smoke/CO2 detectors
- Household type Fire Extinguishers
- Kerosene
- Latex Paint - See our Other Helpful Programs webpage for alternative disposal options.
- Lead Paint
- Oil Based Paint - See our Other Helpful Programs webpage for alternative disposal options.
- Road Flares Only (no marine flares)
- Muriatic Acid
- No Pest Strips
- Paint Removers
- Paint Thinners
- Pesticides
- Photography Chemicals
- Poisons
- Polishes
- Pool Chemicals
- Propane Cylinders/ Canisters (1 lb.)
- Rechargeable Batteries
- Lithium
- Lithium Ion
- Nickel Cadmium
- Nickel Metal Hydroxide
- Rodent Killers
- Slug Baits
- Stains
- Transmission/Automotive Fluids
- Wood Preservatives
- Up to 60 lbs of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) and/or Lead Paint Chips - ACM and lead paint chips must be wet and double bagged for disposal. Contact 860-647-3200 for advance authorization for disposing of ACM or lead paint chips.
Unacceptable Household Waste
- Motor Oil - Contact your Town Transfer Station for Disposal; many Auto Stores will accept it too.
- Antifreeze - Contact your Town Transfer Station for Disposal; Auto Stores may accept it too.
- Large Quantities of Unknown Materials
- BioMedical Wastes
- Commercial Fire Extinguishers - Residential household type fire extinguishers are OK for collection.
- Radioactive Wastes
- Commercial Smoke Detectors - Residential household type smoke detectors are OK for collection.
- Unknown Gas Cylinders
- BBQ Gas Grill Cylinders (20 lb.) - Contact your Town's Transfer Station, they likely will accept.
- Industrial/Commercial Gas Cylinders of all types (welding gases, medical gases, etc)
- Substances Regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration - See our Other Helpful Programs webpage for more information.
Contact your Police Department for instructions on disposal of the following:
- Ammunition
- Explosives
- Fireworks
- Flares
- Gun Powder
Online appointments are mandatory. Make your ONLINE APPOINTMENT here.
The annual HHW Collection Save-the-Date postcard is mailed every March. Please hold onto it! We only send one mailer in the spring for the entire calendar year (no fall mailer will be sent). You can click the link below to download an electronic copy of the HHW postcard:
Collection Events at the Regional HHW Facility
Location: Manchester Public Works Department Garage, 321 Olcott Street, Manchester, CT
Directions: Exit 1 from 384, follow Spencer Street for 0.9 miles. Turn left on Olcott Street. Follow signs to Facility.
Dates: These events occur on the 3rd Saturday of each month, from March through November (with the exception of our Wednesday evening event in July).
- Saturday, March 16, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Saturday, April 20, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Saturday, May 18, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Saturday, June 15, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Wednesday, July 17, 2024, 3pm-7pm (evening event)
- Saturday, August 17, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Saturday, September 21, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Saturday, October 19, 2024, 8am-1pm
- Saturday, November 16, 2024, 8am-1pm
Times: All Saturday collections are held from 8am to 1pm. For the last appointments of the events, please arrive by 1pm. All cars in line as of 1pm will be serviced and cars arriving after 1pm will not be serviced. (In the instance of our evening event, final appointments should arrive by 3pm in order to be serviced.)
Fall Outreach Collection Event
Location: Stafford Highway Department Garage, 210 East Street (Route 19), Stafford, CT
Time: The outreach collection event will be held from 8am to 1pm. For the last appointments of the events, please arrive by 1pm. All cars in line as of 1pm will be serviced and cars arriving after 1pm will not be serviced.
Date: Saturday, October 5, 2024, 8am-1pm
Connecticut PaintCare Recycling Program
The State of Connecticut is one of eight states covered by PaintCare. PaintCare is a non-profit organiztion created by the American Coatings Association to manage the industry's various paint recycling programs. All residents and businesses in Connecticut are able to recycle eligible paints and stains at participating paint take back locations.
PaintCare Drop-off Site Look-up Tool
The Manchester Transfer Station accepts paint year-round through the PaintCare program, however, this drop-off site is only available to Manchester residents. Please note that, at this time, most Sherwin Williams stores have a 5 container limit for recycling unwanted paints/stains per visit. Contact each store directly to confirm their take back program policies.
Program Contact
More Information
Prescription Medication Collection
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has two annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Days: one in April and one in October. For year-round drop-off stations, use the DEA search tool to find a location near you.
Year-Round Prescription Drug Drop-off Site Look-up Tool
Are you close to Manchester? The Manchester Police Department collects unwanted prescription medications in a permanent collection container located at the Police Department at 239 Middle Turnpike East.
For more information, call 860-647-5568 or click the link, below.