What am I supposed to do with...? |
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I have all sorts of stuff, and just want someone to take it away ...These companies handle many of the following items and more, and recycle/reuse to the max: |
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All mercury-added
products, including fluorescent tubes and CFLs, are now
prohibited by law from being disposed in the trash.
(MGL Ch 21H, sec 6)
All Home Depot , Lowe's, IKEA and Whole Foods stores accept CFLs for recycling. Some of their staff may not be aware of this yet. Several SSRC member towns accept CFLs, fluorescent tubes and mercury bearing waste in a dedicated shed at their transfer station or recycling center. See your town's page to find out if it provides this service. RecycleBulb maintains a searchable list of locations across the US that accept consumers' CFLs for recycling. The Green Action Project is a new program that allows non-profit, school and community organizations to offer free, convenient, environmentally safe CFL recycling at no charge to their community, event attendees or students. Handle CFLs by their base to avoid breakage. Occasional broken bulbs may go in the trash. CFLs each contain about 4 milligrams (mgs) of mercury, far less than the amount emitted from a coal burning power plant to light an equivalent incandescent bulb. (A fever thermometer contains about 1000 mgs.) If one CFL breaks, don't panic. |
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Latex paint & driveway sealer are messy, but not hazardous. Good quality, usable latex paint may be accepted by The Paint Exchange in North Scituate. The good ladies there strain, re-mix and re-sell it at half the cost of retail. Call 781-545-1272 for hours and details. If you can't use it up or give it away, remove lid, absorb with cat litter or paint hardener, and dispose with trash. Money- and Waste-Saving Tip: Measure all surfaces to be painted. Once you have calculated the total square feet, divide by 400 . At 400 square feet/ gallon, that will tell you how many gallons you need. |
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Smoke detectors containing the isotope Americium are not hazardous. Dispose with trash. |
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Serviceable
Furniture, Household goods and Clothing - charitable
organizations will pick up useful and usable household items for
resale to support their missions, including Big Brother Big Sister (no furniture)- (800) 483-5503 Vietnam Veterans of America - (800) 775-VETS (8387) Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts -includes a master list of charitable organizations that accept donations 978-635-1763 |
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White goods
(stoves, air conditioners, etc) :
NStar and National Grid sponsor a refrigerator/ freezer recycling rebate program through Mass Save for their residential customers. (This is not related to the “Great Appliance Exchange” that ran out of money after a day.) The utilities subcontract to JACO, which picks up old units at the curb for free. NStar and National Grid pays a $50 rebate to the homeowner. Certain criteria apply. |
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Road flares - your fire department may take them for training, or you can burn in an open, secure, paved area |
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Construction and bulky waste, including furniture, PT wood, if not accepted at municipal transfer station, may be brought to :
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Asbestos has 2 forms.
Materials containing friable asbestos crumble by hand pressure when dry, and may be found in such materials as old pipe insulation. It should be removed and disposed by an asbestos abatement professional. Small quantities (up to a garbage bag)may be wetted, double bagged and brought to an HHP collection.
Nonfriable asbestos, found in such materials as roofing, siding and flooring, should be handled by a demolition contractor or brought to Waste Management's Turnkey Landfill in Rochester NH. Call 603-330-2134.
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Fire
Extinguishers
There are several types of fire extinguishers. If you have a RED tank containing CO2 (carbon dioxide), you may recharge it at the following locations: Gorham Fire Appliance Co, 288 willard St., Quincy, 617-472-5785
Alternatively, you may discharge CO2 tanks outdoors, unscrew and remove the head or drill a hole in the cylinder, and recycle with scrap metal If you have a RED tank containing dry chemical (sodium bicarbonate or monoammonium phosphate), put on goggles and dust mask. Discharge contents outdoors, away from people, pets, and grass, aiming low, sweeping from side to side. Unscrew and remove the head and recycle with scrap metal. If you have any other type of tank, consult your local fire department. It is likely hazardous. |
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Home Medical Waste
Do not put prescription medicine down the drain.
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Do not put medical sharps in trash or recycling.
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Check with your Visiting Nurse Association to see if there
is a needle or prescription drug collection or re-use
program in your area.
For more information, call the Mass. Dept of Public Health, Division of Community Sanitation at (617) 727-2660. |
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Kitty litter, diapers, tissues and other absorbents that have touched fluids from patients or pets undergoing nuclear medicine treatment are RADIOACTIVE Segregate for 90 days before disposing in the trash, or flush if small and biodegradable. DON’T LET YOUR TRASH SOUND THE ALARM! Detection of any amount of radiation in the trash causes the following chain of events:
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Several retailers accept the following types of plastic bags and films to be recycled into plastic lumber-type products (clean, dry bags labeled #2 or #4):
The following are considered contaminants and could jeopardize recycling programs:
Bring them to: Big Y, Hannaford, Market Basket, Shaw's, Star Market, Stop and Shop, and WalMart. Reduce your plastic bag use - bring your own bags to the store |
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Styrofoam® packing peanuts: Some municipal transfer stations and
local pack-and-ship stores often accept expanded polystyrene packing
material for reuse. An incomplete list can be found
here,
enter area code (not zip code). Foam blocks are accepted at a very few Mass. locations When choosing packing material, bubble wrap is more easily recycled (with plastic bags) and reused. |
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Brita® pitcher filters are accepted at many Whole Foods locations
for recycling, including the one in Hingham.
Preserve (aka Recycline),
based in Massachusetts, transforms these, as well as Stonyfield Yogurt
containers amd other #5 plastics into toothbrushes, plates, cutting
boards and the like.If Hingham is too far, look for other locations , or simply mail filters to Preserve:
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Sensitive documents that contain bank
and credit account info, social security numbers, or other information
that requires privacy and/or can result in identity theft (and is not in
the phone book) is best shredded. If you have too much for a
personal shredder, look on the Home page to see if there is an upcoming
shredding event, or contact:
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Used motor oil, fuel oil (free of water,
gasoline and other contaminants) and (less commonly) antifreeze are
accepted by many towns at their Highway Garages or transfer stations.
Click on the link to your town's web page. Every Advance Auto Parts store accepts motor oil, transmission fluid, hydraulic oil, gear oil, power steering fluid and used vehicle batteries free of charge. Every AutoZone store accepts used batteries for recycling and 95% of our stores accept used motor oil and other used fluids. See your closest AutoZone store for details. Spoiled gasoline is flammable, and must be brought to a haz prod collection. If treated with gas stabilizer, it lasts at least a year. It is best to use it up before it spoils. |
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Many towns accept scrap metal items at their transfer stations, recycling centers or highway garages. Environmental Pickup will pick up grills, bikes, anything metal for free. 781.316.5979 The following yards may pay for copper and aluminum:
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