Household Hazardous Waste

WHAT IS HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (HHW)?

Household hazardous wastes (HHW) are those wastes produced in our households that are hazardous in nature, but are not regulated as hazardous waste under federal and state laws. Each person in Pennsylvania produces an average of four pounds of HHW each year for the total of about 25,000-tons per year statewide.

For additional information on Household Hazardous Waste, please visit the PA Department of Environmental Protection's information page.

HOW SHOULD YOU MANAGE YOUR HHW?

The best method of managing your HHW is to prevent its generation in the first place. This involves selecting the least toxic item 'to do the job' and buying only the minimum amounts necessary. Buying in large quantities is not a bargain if half of it has to be discarded. If your materials are still useable , check with friends, neighbors, churches, or other non-profit groups to see if they might be able to use it.

If you are unable to donate your items, consider using Dauphin County's curbside HHW Program that is available to each household for FREE , one time per year.

Our HHW Program does NOT accept latex paint. Latex paint is NOT a hazardous waste and is water-based. Please consider donating it or drying it out with kitty-litter or newspaper to discard in your household trash.
 
Our program is simple!
 
STEP 1 -Call 1-800-449-7587 to schedule your curbside collection.
 
STEP 2 -In 1-2 weeks you will receive an HHW Kit in the mail. The kit is used for the collection of your HHW.
 
STEP 3 -Sit your HHW kit at your curb on the scheduled collection date.
 
If you are unable to participate in Dauphin County's HHW Program or you have no other option but to discard the materials, you may legally dispose of them in your regular household trash pick up; provided that ...

  1. You have looked at the label for any disposal directions and have complied with them. 
  2. Liquids that are water based have either been allowed to evaporate or non-water based liquids have been absorbed on some material such as vermiculite, cat litter, or sawdust so that there are no freestanding liquids. 
  3. The remaining residue has been carefully packaged to prevent leakage while the material is being transported to the disposal facility. 
  4. The material is placed out for disposal in small quantities, over several collection periods.