Household Hazardous Waste

Household hazardous waste can be disposed of at the landfill on the first Saturday in June from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hazardous Materials

  • Corrosive - oven cleaners, bleach, and other products that can cause skin burns.
  • Reactive - chlorine, lye, some laboratory chemicals and other products that can explode or give off gases.
  • Toxic - pesticides, herbicides, antifreeze and other poisonous materials that can kill or cause illness.
People Bringing Materials for Household Hazardous Waste Day
Preparing & Transporting Waste
  • At the landfill you will be directed to the collection area. An attendant will ask you about the chemicals you bring to the event and remove them from your vehicle. Please remain inside your vehicle, this will allow for quicker processing.
  • Bring your items to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility, located at the Wayne County Landfill (Dudley Convenience Center).
  • Leave materials in their original containers.
  • Never mix materials.
  • Wrap bottles with newspaper for padding.
Acceptable Items
  • Aerosol/Spray Cans
  • Bathroom Cleaners
  • Batteries
  • Brake Fluid
  • Degreasers
  • Drain Cleaners
  • Florescent Bulbs
  • Gasoline
  • Herbicides
  • Kerosene
  • Kitchen Cleaners
  • Lacquer
  • Mercury Debris
  • Metal Polish

  • Mothballs
  • Oven Cleaners
  • Paint Stripper
  • Paint/Paint Thinner
  • Pesticides
  • Pool Chemicals
  • Powder Cleansers
  • Rat Poison
  • Solvents
  • Spot Removers
  • Tile Cleaners
  • Upholstery Cleaners
  • Wood Preservative
Items Not Accepted
  • Commercial Waste
  • Explosives
  • Fireworks
  • Flares
  • Gas Cylinders

  • Medical Waste
  • Radioactive Material
  • Smoke Detectors
  • Trash
How Waste Is Processed
Recycling
Some solvents and mercury may be reprocessed into useful products.

Fuel Blending
This method recovers energy from wastes which aren’t suitable for recycling, such as some paints, kerosene, and other flammable liquids. Once blended, these wastes become fuel for industrial kilns or boilers.

Chemical Treatment
Through chemical procedures, poisons like cyanides are neutralized.

Incineration
Most pesticides, herbicides, aerosol cans, cleaners, waxes and flammable materials not suitable for recycling or fuel use are burned in high temperature incinerators equipped with monitoring instruments and air pollution control devices.

Secure Chemical Landfill
A solvent such as paint thinner may go to a recycler, where clean product is separated from impurities called “still bottoms.” The still bottoms are then incinerated, producing harmless gases and a small amount of ash. The ash is then deposited in a secure landfill.

This event is sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Pesticide Disposal Assistance Program and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.