Leave the product in the labeled container
Bug spray, weed killer, garden dust, and similar pesticides are household hazardous waste even when the bottle is almost empty. Keep the original label on if you can. Tighten the cap. If the container leaks, set it in a larger bin and call the HHW program before you travel so they can tell you how to package a leak. Do not pour pesticide on a driveway, into a drain, into a ditch, or onto a vacant lot. Do not burn containers. Do not leave a bottle open to evaporate. Do not reuse a pesticide bottle for water or for another chemical.
Ask HHW what they accept from households
Call the household hazardous waste program and name the products. Ask whether aerosols, concentrates, and ready-to-use jugs are all accepted, and whether there is a limit. Ask about fertilizers only if you have them. Fertilizer is not automatically the same appointment as a pesticide, and the program will say if they want it. Do not mix two pesticides into one jug to consolidate. If you already mixed a sprayer of dilute product, tell staff what went into it. A transfer station's household trash bay is the wrong place for these bottles.
Empty sprayers and contaminated gear
A pump sprayer that still holds mix is a pesticide container, not a tool to leave at the curb. Ask the program whether they want the sprayer. Clothing soaked with concentrate should be handled as the program directs, not dropped at a thrift store. At the collection, leave products in the vehicle until staff unload them if that is their rule. Do not set a box of chemicals beside the oil tank and drive away. If something is refused, take it home and ask where that specific product goes.
Before you go
- Keep pesticides in labeled, closed containers and do not mix products together.
- Do not dump, burn, or evaporate them.
- Call the household hazardous waste program and describe what you have.
- Deliver the containers the way that program instructs and bring refusals home.
Pouring leftover weed killer along a fence so you do not have to store the jug.
Questions people ask
What if the label is gone?
Tell HHW staff you cannot identify the product and describe where you found it. Do not guess and pour it into a jug that still has a different label.
Is a completely empty pesticide bottle recyclable?
Do not put it in curbside recycling. Ask the HHW program. An empty pesticide container is still their question, not the bottle bin's.
Search Dumpmapper by ZIP code or city, then call the site before you load the truck. Hours and accepted materials change.