Listed below are many household items and great local options for where to recycle them. Businesses and charities listed in these links are for INFORMATION ONLY and do not constitute an endorsement.
Acetylene, or welding, torches contain a highly flammable gas.
Some may contain asbestos.
If the name of the supplier is on the tank, bring it there.
If not, bring to:
Total Welding Supply
201 Montello St.
Brockton
(800) 886-9321
Best Buy accepts up to 3 of the following per day: electronics and peripherals, televisions up to 32″, VCR and DVD players, phones, cords, vacuums, fans, select other electric items, and remotes at no charge. Some items have a fee. (Check their site to make sure this list is current).
Lowes accepts appliances for recycling with purchase of new appliance
Staples accepts certain small appliances including coffee brewers, label makers, printers and shredders.
Anything Metal Removal Services
(free pick up Hanover and north; fee for Freon removal)
781-385-1404
Atlantic Metal Recycling
1282 Main Street (Rte. 27) – Hanson
781-293-2463
Desac Disposal Recycle and Transfer Station
106 Essex Street – Whitman
781-447-0137
Excel Recycling
37 Charlotte White Road – Westport
508-636-2780
Mid City Scrap
548 State Road – Westport
774-319-5420
Spiegel South Shore Scrap
212 N Cary Street – Brockton
508-897-0008
EverSource and National Gridsponsor a refrigerator/freezer recycling rebate program through MassSave for residential customers.
Found in many homes, asbestos is toxic. It has 2 forms: friable and nonfriable.
Larger quantities should be brought to:
Waste Management’s Turnkey Landfill
Rochester NH
(603) 330-2197 x0
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
Rochester NH
(603) 330-2197 x0
Motor and fuel oil (free of water, gasoline and other contaminants) and antifreeze are accepted by many towns at their Highway Garages or transfer stations. Check the town programs to see if yours does.
Advance Auto Parts stores accept motor oil, transmission fluid, hydraulic oil, gear oil, power steering fluid and used vehicle batteries .
AutoZone stores accept used vehicle batteries and most of their stores accept used motor oil and other fluids.
All non-wrap material must be removed, as it jams up the processors’ equipment. The wrap is recycled into agricultural and construction films, composite decking, guard rail mounting blocks, etc.
Many local marinas provide bags and a collection area for shrink wrap recycling for a nominal fee.
NE Shrink Wrap removes and recycles shrink wrap from boats and other items for its customers
Republic Services, 190 Mulberry Street, Brockton, 508-580-1511 Call ahead for details and pricing.
ALL non-wrap material must be removed.
Collection Container Locations
Books, undamaged used CDs, DVDs, tapes, records, sports cards and comic books. Host town or organization receives a weight based rebate.
Abington
Abington Town Hall
500 Gliniewicz Way
Norma Kent Pastoral Counseling Center
10 Bedford Street
Kingston
Kingston Transfer Station
Cranberry Rd.
Mondays: 12 PM – 7:45 PM
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays: 8 AM – 3:45 PM
Kingston Elementary School – Residents only
150 Main St.
Duxbury
Duxbury Transfer Station
Mayflower St.
Wednesdays – Sundays: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Duxbury Student Union – Residents only
147 St. George St.
Plymouth
Manomet Transfer Station – Residents only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Hanover
Hanover Transfer Station – Residents only
118 Rockland St
Fri-Tues, 8AM-4:30PM
Rockland
Rockland Recycling Center – Residents only
Beech St.
Tuesdays – Saturdays: 8:30 AM – 3 PM
Hanson
Hanson Transfer Station – Residents only
201 Franklin St.
Scituate
Scituate Transfer Station – Residents only
280 Driftway St.
Fridays – Tuesdays 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Hingham
Hingham Transfer Station – Residents only
Hobart Street
Thursday – Sunday: 7:00 AM-4:00 PM
Weymouth
Weymouth DPW – Residents only
120 Winter St.
Mondays – Friday, 8:30 PM-4:30 PM
Tufts Library, 46 Broad Street
(8 foot gray container)
Hull
Lillian Jacobs Elementary School
180 Harborview Road
Carbonated beverage, beer and malt liquor containers each carry a refundable deposit of 5¢.
All sellers of such beverages must accept containers of brands they sell back for full deposit refund. Temple Liquors, 42 Temple St., Whitman accepts all redeemable containers in bulk for refund. Bring in bags or boxes.
Preserve (aka Recycline), based in Massachusetts, transforms these, as well as Stonyfield Yogurt containers and other clean #5 (polypropylene) plastics into toothbrushes, plates, cutting boards, etc.
Terracycle will also take Brita Fiilters when you sign up for an account with them
Burning brush requires a fire permit, can be dangerous, and emits harmful pollutants.
If your town does not pick up or accept brush, you can chip it yourself, or bring it to:
Bridgewater Farm
1000 Plymouth St., Bridgewater
(508) 697-0357
Can also take clean wood (no nails), paint, stain, or other treatment. Cut to 6′. Stumps $20/CY. Open year round during store hours. They also accept Christmas trees, yard waste (must be free of rocks), plastic, metal, and all other non-plant material.
Smith and Sons
887 Plain St. (Rt. 139), Marshfield
(781) 294-1230
May be prorated for smaller quantities. No bags or non-plant material.
Car seats are difficult to recycle, due to the many different materials that are stuck together. Charities and thrift stores are prohibited by law from accepting used cars seats for donation.
Target runs an annual car seat recycling program, in April.
If you have the will, time and patience, deconstructing it is worth the effort.
The plastic shell may be recycled with large rigid plastics, which are collected at annual Recycling Days by some towns, and year round at the Cohasset, Hingham and Kingston Transfer Stations, and the Braintree and Rockland Recycling Centers.
Reuse is always best, but cardboard moving boxes may also be flattened and recycled through your municipal recycling program. Remove all non-paper packing material.
Conigliaro Industries
Removes, transports or accepts used carpet and many other materials for drop off at:
701 Waverly St.
Framingham
(888) 266-4225
These items are NOT recyclable with your bottles and cans. Tapes cause terrible tangling problems at the sorting facilities. CDs, DVDs and cases are not the kind of plastic they can sort and sell, and will be landfilled or mis-sorted.
Salvation Army and Savers accept commercial CDs, DVDs, vinyl LPs and audio books in their original cases. Please, no taped, burned, or home recorded media.
GreenDisk accepts electronics and electronic media “technotrash”, including difficult to recycle VHS tapes and microfilm, for a fee.
Vinyl records can also be made into party bowls. Otherwise, these items go in the trash.
Many retailers (including Home Depot, Lowes, Staples, and Target), schools, police departments, and municipal transfer stations collect unwanted cell phones for profit or for people in need.
National Domestic Violence Hotline will take your used cell phones for Jane Doe, Inc. Phones that can’t be refurbished are sold for parts, and the money is donated to domestic violence programs like JDI.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active duty military members and veterans.
All used clothing, shoes, belts, purses, and household ‘softwear’ are too good for the trash!
Schools and Towns
Schools and towns that host a Bay State Textile or Helpsy (aka RecycleThat) bin receive a rebate for every pound of textiles collected.
Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors may be disposed in the trash.
Coat and clothing hangers are NOT recyclable with your bottles and cans.
The wire damages the sorting equipment, and the plastics are not the types accepted (rigid containers). However, most coat hangers can be reused or recycled elsewhere. Most dry cleaners will take back wire hangers for reuse. Please remove paper and foam. Some thrift stores will accept plastic and wooden hangers for use or sale. When purchasing clothing, decline to take the hangers with them – the store may reuse them.
For more information visit Recycle Nation.
Check out our COMPOST BINS PAGE for all things composting
Usable building materials, kitchen and bath fixtures, flooring, windows, doors, lighting, etc. may be bought from, sold or consigned to:
Architectural Salvage of the South Shore (Facebook group)
DONATE TO:
Habitat for Humanity ReStores in West Roxbury, Carver, and other Mass. locations
Boston Building Materials Resource Center in Roxbury (pickup available for a fee)
Residential & commercial construction debris, yard waste, ABC, metal, tires, white goods, furniture, bulky waste, dumpster service (no asbestos)
Desac Disposal Recycle and Transfer Station
106 Essex St. – Whitman
Monday – Friday 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Saturday 7:00 AM – Noon
$75 minimum, $75/cubic yard (2020)
Railroad ties $8 each up to 8 feet
781-447-0137
Waste Innovations
569 Winthrop St. – Taunton
Monday – Friday – 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday 7:00 AM – Noon
(866) 946-9278
Residential construction debris, furniture, bulky waste, and dumpster service (no railroad ties, asbestos)
Trojan Recycling
71 Forest St. – Brockton
Monday – Friday – 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Saturday – 7:00 AM – Noon
Fees Apply
(508) 588-2332
Republic Waste
257 Ivory St. – Braintree (transfer station at old landfill)
Saturday 7:00 AM-1:30 PM
(781) 843-6209
Republic Waste Transfer Station
250 Beaver Dam Rd. – Plymouth
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
(508) 224-8936
Bourne ISWMF
201 MacArthur Bvd. – Bourne
Monday – Friday 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Saturday 7:00 AM – noon
(508) 759-0651
Waste Management sells the ‘Bagster‘ at Home Depot. They hold 3 cubic yards of material.
Call for a pickup when it is full.
Construction and Debris plus railroad ties and asbestos
Waste Management’s Turnkey Landfill
176 Rochester Neck Road – Rochester, NH
(800) 963-4776
Asphalt, Brick, Concrete, Gravel, Rocks
JGB Aggregate
147 Claypit Rd., Marshfield
781-834-0200
info@jgbaggregates.com
Fats, oil and grease should NEVER be put down the drain. It is not tolerated well in backyard compost either. FOG clogs up both systems.
If your machine still works, you can sell or donate to:
(DISCLAIMER: This is not an endorsement of any of those organizations)
If it isn’t in good working condition, it can be recycled with electronics.
The solvents in OIL-BASED driveway sealer are hazardous. Please use it up if possible. If unused liquid remains, bring to a Household Hazardous Wastecollection.
Latex driveway sealer is not hazardous, just messy.
Many Senior Centers/ Councils on Aging accept usable medical equipment donations.
Scituate Etrusco Associates
Scituate Estrusco Associates provides loans of gently used durable medical equipment such as manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, tub seats for use by residents of Scituate, Hull, Hanover, Hingham, Cohasset, Marshfield, Norwell, Duxbury, Pembroke and Kingston. Do accept hospital beds but not power wheelchairs.
Contact:
1 Common Street – Scituate
(781) 545-4411
Monday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REquipment, a program of the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission, accepts gently-used durable medical equipment that is less than 5-6 years old. AS of Sept. 2017, they were accepting power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, sling lifts, portable ramps, tub/shower chairs, rollator walkers, adapted strollers, standers and gait trainers, and specialty cushions/mattresses. Equipment should be in good condition or easily repaired. Exceptions may be made with regard to the age or condition of the equipment if it is in high demand, of high-value or unusual to access.
REquipment does not accept hospital beds, built-in-place ramps or stair lifts, braces, CPAP or other medical machines.
Most of our member towns have collection programs for TVs and electronics. Most charge fees for TVs and monitors to cover the cost associated with proper management.
World Computer Exchange accepts working computers and peripherals for donation at its collection point in Hull. They test and ship working computers to developing countries for use in schools.
Dignitunity shows all organizations accepting donations of working equipment by zip code.
Computers4People Refurbishes donated computers and equipment, and distributes to nonprofits and individuals who can’t afford them. The volunteer organization accepts cash donations too.
Best Buy will recycle up to 3 units per day of residential desktop and laptop computers and notebooks, small electronics, VCR and DVD players, phones, keyboards, mice, cords, vacuums, fans, select other electric items, and remotes at no charge. Some items have trade-in value. There is a charge to recycle all TVs and computer monitors.
Dell will exchange many electronics, including PCs, mobile phones, digital cameral and MP3 players, for Dell Gift Cards in a mail in program. Dell has a “no export” policy for end of life electronics.
Lenovo operates both a take-back and a buy back program for hardware and supplies, including PCs, monitors, printers, digital cameras, personal digital assistants and smart phones of any brand cartridges through the mail. Click here, enter the product info and see if it has value.
PC Trading, 58 Washington St. East Bridgewater accepts all electronics Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Pickup is also available. There is a fee for most TVs and CRT monitors. Call ahead (781) 447-5995.
Staples stores accept all brands of computers, monitors, laptops, printers, faxes, all-in-ones, peripherals, ink and toner cartridges, and other items for recycling at no charge. (There are stores in Weymouth, Pembroke and Plymouth).
Other options: Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory
Fats, oil and grease should NEVER be put down the drain. It is not tolerated well in backyard compost either. FOG clogs up both systems.
Hingham, Norwell and Weymouth accept used cooking oil at their recycling centers. It is converted to biofuel for heating and diesel vehicle use.
You can convert FOG to biodiesel fuel at home too. Alternatively, conversion kits are available to enable your vehicle to run on straight vegetable oil (SVO). Do your homework before attempting either of these projects.
Other than that, FOG should be sealed up or absorbed and disposed with the trash. If it goes to SEMASS, at least it is burned to produce fossil-fuel free electricity.
Although it is made of glass, there are no recycling outlets for either batting (insulation) or solid fiberglass in the region.
Unfortunately, it must be dosposed as construction waste. Boats and other large solid items should be cut up into manageable pieces.
Standard (non-LED) fluorescent tubes, including those with the green tips, contain small amounts of mercury, and may not be disposed in the trash.
Batteries and Bulbs in Hanover accepts fluorescent tubes for recycling for a small fee.
See also compact fluorescent bulbs on this page, and our Mercury page for town drop off information.
Foam materials make a mess in the sorting facilities (as do plastic bags), so are not recyclable with your bottles and containers. Only rigid containers are acceptable in that stream.
SSRC towns, through a competitive bid conducted by the South Shore Recycling Cooperative, selected Black Earth Compost as a preferred vendor for curbside food waste pickup. They operate in many of our Towns now, and will serve others once minimum subscription thresholds are reached.
The average US household wastes about $2000/year on discarded food. Wasted food waste makes up a quarter of our trash. Separating it for composting reduces trash tonnage and cost, returns valuable material to the soil to grow food, and de-odorizes your trash. If you have your trash picked up, you could switch to biweekly trash collection!
The setup fee for animal-resistant locking curbside collection container and one roll of 15 compostable liners: $36
Density Discount: A 15% price reduction will occur once 245 Cohasset households subscribe to the service.
BEC also picks up Electronics, Textiles, Plastic Film, Donations and more for recycling from subscribers.
A lot of food waste can be avoided by:
Backyard composting can also put about half a ton/year of food and other organic waste to good use. It sequesters carbon and transforms your leftover plant-based foods, paper towels, leaves and yard waste into nutritious soil. Your trash will be sweeter smelling, and you will have your own rich fertilizer for your lawn, garden and houseplants.
See our compost page for more composting information.
Furniture in excellent condition may be consigned at:
Elite Repeat
700 Washington St. (Rt. 53) – Hanover
781-826-6888
Charitable organizations will pick up or accept on site useful and usable furniture and household items for resale to support their missions , including:
Big Brother and Big Sister Foundation
Donates up to 100% of net profits from the sale of donated items to mentoring organizations
800-483-5503
pickup and drop off
Habitat for Humanity ReStores
Sell new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances at a fraction of the retail price. Proceeds are used to build homes, community, and hope locally and around the world. West Roxbury, Carver (drop off)
Savers
Donates a portion of profits to designated charities.
Hanover, Plymouth, Norwood and West Roxbury (drop off)
The Wish Project
Provides furniture to families moving out of homeless shelters
(978) 375-3572 (pick up)
Craiglist
List useful items for free, they will be gone from your driveway in short order.
List for a cost, you might get lucky.
Other options: Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory
If not good enough for reuse, see construction and bulky waste.
Spoiled gasoline is flammable, and must be brought to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection event.
Greeting cards, envelopes and gift wrap that are free of metallic foil and other non-paper elements may be recycled with paper. (Foil causes holes in the finished recycled product.)
St. Jude’s Ranch for Children accepts the fronts of used cards to create new holiday and all-occasion greeting cards. Repurposed cards are sold to support their programs and services for abused, neglected and homeless children, young adults and families.
Strings of lights and other tanglers should not be recycled with containers or single stream recycling. They tangle the sorting equipment. Only bottles, cans and rigid containers go in the bin or cart.
Gift wrap may only be recycled with paper IF:
Tissue paper: Put in trash or compost – fibers are too short to make new paper.
Ribbons and Bows: Reuse or put in trash. They cannot be recycled. Try reusable cloth ribbon, or string.
Boxes: Remove all non-paper packing material (foam, peanuts, bubble wrap, plastic bags, plastic handles), flatten and recycle with cardboard. Removing packing tape is helpful but not necessary. See “Foam Packing Material” and “Plastic Film, Bags and Wrap” for more information.
Tinsel, Garland and String Lights: Remove from your tree before putting on curb or bringing to brush pile. They create huge problems for the chippers. Reuse, or put tinsel and garland in trash.
String lights: See “Holiday Lights”
Do not flush or put prescription medicine down the drain.
Alternatively, and for non prescription medications:
You may opt out of your town’s trash service and hire your own waste hauler. Private haulers (and others) provide private trash and recycling pickup at your home and business, as well as dumpster service.
Empty inhalers can go in in the trash. The propellant is flammable, so should not be disposed if not empty.
For general cleanouts, these companies handle many of the listed items and more, and recycle/reuse to the max:
“Buy Nothing” groups promote hyper-local giving and receiving for all manner of materials.
As of Nov., 2018, Duxbury, Hingham, Middleborough, Plymouth and Weymouth had chapters.
Craigslist listing items for free is an easy and free way to pass along unwanted items. You can also sell items.
Good Deeds House Cleanout – Pembroke (781) 308-4447
Freecycle also hosts local online swaps. Half of our SSRC towns have groups.
Most towns operate or contract with a compost site for residents’ leaves and yard waste. A few pick it up on certain weeks.
Alternatively, you can compost it in your own yard. If not mixed with food waste, an enclosed container is not necessary for this natural process.
To speed up and optimize the process:
If you just want it to go away, bring it to:
Bridgewater Farm – 1000 Plymouth St., Bridgewater (508) 697-0357
Can take clean wood (NO nails, paint, stain, or other treatment), cut to 6′. Can take stumps. Open year round during store hours. They also accept Christmas trees. Yard waste must be free of rocks, plastic, metal and all other non-plant material.
Smith and Sons – 887 Plain St. (Rt. 139), Marshfield, (781) 294-1230
Price may be prorated for smaller quantities. No bags or non-plant material.
See our Paint page on this site.
Upholstered furniture and mattresses, free of rips, stains and bugs, may be donated to:
Salvation Army
Drop off at 1-800-SA-TRUCK
For free pickup use their online pickup form or call.
The Wish Project
Provides furniture to families moving out of homeless shelters
978-375-3572
If not in good enough condition to donate, your town may collect or accept it (usually for a fee).
HandUp Mattress Recycling collects about monthly from most of our towns for $50/unit (as of 6/2023). Schedule a pickup
Green Mattress in Brockton, and Green Team Junk Removal also pick up mattresses.
These items are NOT recyclable with your bottles and cans. Tapes cause terrible tangling problems at the sorting facilities. CDs, DVDs and cases are not the kind of plastic they can sort and sell, and will be landfilled or mis-sorted.
Salvation Army and Savers accept commercial CDs, DVDs, vinyl LPs and audio books in their original cases. Please, no taped, burned, or home recorded media.
GreenDisk accepts electronics and electronic media “technotrash”, including difficult to recycle VHS tapes and microfilm, for a fee.
Vinyl records can also be made into party bowls.
Otherwise, these items go in the trash.
Many Senior Centers/ Councils on Aging accept usable medical equipment donations.
Scituate Etrusco Associates
Scituate Estrusco Associates provides loans of gently used durable medical equipment such as manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, tub seats for use by residents of Scituate, Hull, Hanover, Hingham, Cohasset, Marshfield, Norwell, Duxbury, Pembroke and Kingston. Do accept hospital beds but not power wheelchairs.
Contact:
1 Common Street – Scituate
781-545-4411
Hours:
Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REquipment, a program of the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission, accepts gently-used durable medical equipment that is less than 5-6 years old. AS of Sept. 2017, they were accepting power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, sling lifts, portable ramps, tub/shower chairs, rollator walkers, adapted strollers, standers and gait trainers, and specialty cushions/mattresses. Equipment should be in good condition or easily repaired. Exceptions may be made with regard to the age or condition of the equipment if it is in high demand, of high-value or unusual to access.
REquipment does not accept hospital beds, built-in-place ramps or stair lifts, braces, CPAP or other medical machines.
REquipment Guide to DME Reuse Resources (WORD) for other donation options. Or browse Other Loan/Reuse Options (a MassMATCH webpage).
Do not flush or put prescription medicine down the drain.
Antibiotics kill beneficial microbes in septic and wastewater treatment systems. Other medications, even at very low concentrations, may have serious detrimental effects on fish, other aquatic life, and drinking water.
The Police Departments in our Member Towns have kiosks for unwanted medications at their main stations, open 24/7, no question asked.
Walgreen’s 24 hour pharmacies in Quincy, Randolph and Stoughton host Safe Medication Disposal kiosks.
Alternatively, and for non prescription medications:
FOR PILLS: crush and pour powder into secure container and put in trash.
FOR LIQUIDS: pour into a rigid container with inedible material like cat litter, coffee grounds or dirt and seal.
Mercury is a silver liquid used in many consumer products. It is ILLEGAL to dispose of mercury or mercury-containing products in the trash or recycling.
Many of our Member Towns accept propane tanks at their transfer stations and recycling centers. Remove fluids, glass and other non-metal components to the extent possible.
For an oil-filled space heater, see “Oil Filled Space Heaters” on this page
Anything Metal Removal Services
(781) 385-1404
free pick up Hanover and north; fee for Freon removal
The following yards accept most metal items, and pay for lead-acid batteries, copper and aluminum:
Atlantic Metal Recycling (aka Casoli)
1282 Main St. (Rt. 27) – Hanson
(781) 293-2463
Desac Disposal Recycle and Transfer Station
106 Essex St. – Whitman
(781) 447-0137
Excel Recycling
37 Charlotte White Rd. – Westport
508-636-2780
McConnell Enterprises
60 Garden Park – Braintree
(781) 848-8070
Mid City Scrap
548 State Rd. – Westport
774-319-5420
Spiegel South Shore Scrap
212 N. Cary St. – Brockton
(508) 897-0008
Many retailers (including Home Depot, Lowes, Staples, and Target), schools, police departments, and municipal transfer stations collect unwanted cell phones for profit or for people in need.
Verizon Wireless HopeLine refurbishes and distributes cell phones dropped off at store locations to domestic violence programs including National Domestic Violemce Hotline Phones that can’t be refurbished are sold for parts, and the money is donated to domestic violence programs like JDI.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing cost-free communication services to active duty military members and veterans
Motor and fuel oil (free of water, gasoline and other contaminants) and antifreeze are accepted by many towns at their Highway Garages or transfer stations. Go to our town programs page and click on your town to see if yours does.
Advance Auto Parts stores accept motor oil, transmission fluid, hydraulic oil, gear oil, power steering fluid and used vehicle batteries .
AutoZone stores accept used vehicle batteries and most of their stores accept used motor oil and other fluids.
O’Reilly Auto Parts accepts used motor oil and used vehicle batteries with or without a receipt
Spoiled gasoline is flammable, and must be brought to a hazardous waste collection event. Disposal at HHW collections can cost your municipality more than you paid for it. Try to buy just what you need, and use fluids up. If treated with sea foam or other gas stabilizer, gasoline can last a year or more.
If used antifreeze is not accepted by your town, store it securely so pets and children cannot access it, and bring it to a hazardous waste collection event.
Reuse is the most cost-resource efficient way to manage materials. Here is a comprehensive list of options for acquiring and passing along moving boxes, with other helpful moving info as well.
Rentacrate rents sturdy plastic moving crates, dollies and other moving items for both residential and commercial moves. (not an endorsement, just information)
U-Haul offers the Customer Connect service to help its customers sell, give away, or find boxes and moving supplies.
Cardboard moving boxes may also be flattened and recycled through your municipal recycling program. Remove all non-paper packing material.
Moving boxes and packing supplies are also readily traded on local community exchange networks including Craigslist and Freecycle. These are also great resources for purging as you prepare to move.
It is illegal to dispose needles and sharps with trash and to mix with recycling.
Disposal instructions may be found at Proper Use and Disposal of Needles and Syringes (Mass DPH), or ask your pharmacist.
Needles and lancets may infect people or animals who come in contact with trash or recycling. Keep needles, syringes, and lancelets in secure plastic containers out of the reach of children.
Cohasset Town Hall, 41 Highland Ave
Duxbury Fire Dept., 668 Tremont Street
Monday – Saturday, 8 AM- 4 PM
East Bridgewater Health Department, 175 Central St.
Mon 8:30 am – 8 pm, Tues-Thurs 8:30 am – 4:30 pm, Fri 8:30 am – noon.
East Bridgewater Fire Department, 268 Bedford St. when Health Department is closed
Hanover Fire Dept., 32 Center Street
Hingham Transfer Station (residents only)
Hull Board of Health, 253 Atlantic Ave.
Sharps containers also available at Board of Health, suggested donation $5
Kingston Fire Department, 105 Pembroke Street
Marshfield Health Department, 870 Moraine St.
Norwell Fire Dept. Headquarters, 300 Washington St.
Pembroke Fire Department, 172 Center Street.
Plymouth Fire Dept., 114 Sandwich St. – Plymouth
Plymouth Health Dept., Town Hall, 26 Court St.
Plymouth BAMSI Outreach, 385 Court St., Basement Suite
Rockland Board of Health, 242 Union St. – Rockland
Scituate Fire Department, 149 First Parish Road – Scituate
Weymouth DPW, 120 Winter St.
Weymouth Town Hall, 75 Middle Road
Whitman Board of Health, 54 South Avenue
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, contact: Mass. Dept of Public Health, Division of Community Sanitation (617) 727-2660.
The oil must be drained from the unit, which can then go to scrap metal. The oil can be brought to your town’s oil collection if it has one, or to a HHW collection. (see Motor Oil on this page)
Here’s a video showing someone doing it.
See our Paint Page
Planter pots, trays and tags are NOT recyclable with your bottles and containers.
Lowe’s accepts them to be recycled. (please remove the dirt and plants)
Lowe’s also take rechargeable batteries, plastic wrap and compact fluorescent bulbs.
Propane tank retailers take back refillable #20 tanks.
Many of our member towns accept propane tanks at their transfer stations and recycling centers. Keep valve closed – propane is heavier than air. An “empty” tank will have some residual gas that can be recovered by the propane tank processor.
DeSac Disposal in Whitman accepts 20# propane tanks for a fee of $10.
If a 1 lb. tank is essentially EMPTY (note: it’s never completely empty), remove both valves using a valve (stem) core removal tool. The notch will need to be deepened, as tank valves are longer than tire valves.
Watch this video all the way through to avoid starting a fire. Place devalved tank in trash or bring to a scrap metal dealer (look for SCRAP METAL on this page). NEVER try to refill a disposable propane tank – the results can be fatal.
Helium and CO2 are chemically inert, so the valves of unwanted tanks should be opened to relieve the pressure. If your town accepts scrap metal, helium and CO2 tanks may be brought to your town’s scrap metal bin, or to a scrap metal dealer (look for SCRAP METAL on this page).
Propane, ethylene, oxygen and other pressurized flammable gas cylinders are generally not accepted with scrap metal or at haz waste collections. Contact your local fire department for instructions on their proper disposal.
DON’T LET YOUR TRASH SOUND THE ALARM!
Any patients or pets that are undergoing nuclear medicine whose fluids have touched: kitty litter, diapers, tissues and other absorbents – those materials are considered RADIOACTIVE.
Segregate for 90 days before disposing in the trash, or flush if small and biodegradable.
Detection of any amount of radiation in the trash causes the following chain of events:
As of February 2022, carbonated beverage, beer, and malt liquor containers each carry a refundable deposit of 5¢.
All sellers of such beverages must accept containers of brands they sell back for full deposit refund.
Temple Liquors – 42 Temple St., Whitman accepts all redeemable containers in bulk for refund. Bring in bags or boxes.
Best Buy accepts up to 3 of the following per day: electronics and peripherals, televisions up to 32″, VCR and DVD players, phones, cords, vacuums, fans, select other electric items, and remotes at no charge. Some items have a fee. (Check their site to make sure this list is current).
Lowes accepts appliances for recycling with purchase of new appliance
Green Team Junk Removal partners with MassSave to collect freon containing appliances at one day events.
Anything Metal Removal Services
(free pick up Hanover and north; fee for Freon removal)
(781) 385-1404
Atlantic Metal Recycling
1282 Main Street (Rte. 27) – Hanson
(781) 293-2463
Desac Disposal Recycle and Transfer Station
106 Essex Street – Whitman
(781) 447-0137
Excel Recycling
37 Charlotte White Road – Westport
(508) 636-2780
Mid City Scrap
548 State Road – Westport
(774) 319-5420
Spiegel South Shore Scrap
212 N Cary Street – Brockton
(508) 897-0008
EverSource and National Grid sponsor a refrigerator/freezer recycling rebate program through MassSave for residential customers.
Flares contain perchlorates, which are toxic to aquatic life; NEVER allow to leach into groundwater, sewer or any body of water.
Plastic bags should never go in your recycling bin!
The following are considered contaminants and can cause an entire load to be rejected:
Abby Enterprises, 147 Clay Pit Rd., Marshfield
Monday – Friday, 7 AM – 3:30 PM, Sat., 8 AM – Noon
(781) 733-2189
Desac Disposal, 106 Essex St., Whitman
Mon – Fri 7 AM – 4 PM, Sat 7:00 AM – Noon
(781) 447-0137
Trojan Recycling, 71 Forest St., Brockton
Mon – Fri, 7 AM – 4:30 PM, Sat, 7:00 AM – Noon
(508) 588-2332
For oil filled space heaters, see Oil Filled Space Heaters on this page.
Many of our Member Towns accept propane tanks at their transfer stations and recycling centers. Remove fluids, glass and other non-metal components to the extent possible.
Anything Metal Removal Services
(781) 385-1404
free pick up Hanover and north; fee for Freon removal
The following yards accept most metal items, and pay for lead-acid batteries, copper and aluminum:
Atlantic Metal Recycling (aka Casoli)
1282 Main St. (Rt. 27) – Hanson
(781) 293-2463
Desac Disposal Recycle and Transfer Station
106 Essex St. – Whitman
(781) 447-0137
Excel Recycling
37 Charlotte White Rd. – Westport
(508) 636-2780
McConnell Enterprises
60 Garden Park – Braintree
(781) 848-8070
Mid City Scrap
548 State Rd. – Westport
(774) 319-5420
Spiegel South Shore Scrap
212 N. Cary St. – Brockton
(508) 897-0008
Sensitive documents that contain bank and credit account info, social security numbers, or other information that can result in identity theft (and is not in the phone book) is best shredded. If you shred your own papers, don’t put loose shreds in your recycling bin. It makes a mess at the recycling facility. Either compost them with your food / yard waste, or recycle in a stapled, labelled paper bag.
If you have too much for a personal shredder, look to see if there is an upcoming shredding event.
For secure data destruction pickup service:
Shred-It
14 Kendrick St
Wrentham, MA 02093
(508) 384-0075
All used clothing, shoes, belts, purses, and household ‘softwear’ are too good for the trash!
Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors may be disposed in the trash.
Family Sports Consignments
46 Columbia Rd. (Rt 53) – Pembroke
(781) 826-3403
Play It Again Sports
630 Washington St. (Rt. 1) – Dedham
(781) 493-6796
All used clothing, shoes, belts, purses, and household ‘softwear’ are too good for the trash!
Old thermostats and thermometers contain mercury, a silver liquid used in many consumer products. if released into the environment and ingested, it is toxic to the nervous system, liver and kidneys.
Tires are accepted by many towns at their Highway Garages or transfer stations.
All Sullivan Tire stores accept used tires for a fee of $5 each.
Desac Recycling and Transfer Station
106 Essex St. – Whitman
781-447-0137
accepts for a fee
Cradles to Crayons has drop off locations in Avon, Cohasset and Quincy
Salvation Army supports their good work through clothing and household items sales in their thrift shops and other outlets. Donations are tax deductible.
Salvation Army Thrift Shop
936 Washington St. – Hanover
(781) 826-5686
Savers, a national thrift shop chain with locations in Hanover, Plymouth, Norwood and West Roxbury, shares a percentage of proceeds from clothing sales with the designated charitable organization each store supports. They also accept household items.
All of our member towns have collection programs for TVs and electronics. Most charge fees for TVs and monitors to cover the cost associated with proper management.
Best Buy will recycle up to 3 units per day of residential desktop and laptop computers and notebooks, small electronics, VCR and DVD players, phones, keyboards, mice, cords, vacuums, fans, select other electric items, and remotes at no charge. Some items have trade-in value. There is a charge to recycle all TVs and computer monitors.
Dell will exchange many electronics, including PCs, mobile phones, digital cameral and MP3 players, for Dell Gift Cards in a mail in program. Dell has a “no export” policy for end of life electronics.
Lenovo allows trade-ins of desktops, laptops, smartphones or tablets for a Lenovo e-Gift card online.
Office Depot offers a tech box for sale which you can fill up with as many acceptable items as will fit. They will ship the box as part of the price.
PC Trading, Whitman (781) 447-5995
Staples stores accept all brands of computers, monitors, laptops, printers, faxes, all-in-ones, peripherals, ink and toner cartridges, and other items for recycling at no charge. (There are stores in Weymouth, Pembroke and Plymouth).
World Computer Exchange accepts working computers for donation at its collection point in Hull. They test and ship working computers to developing countries for use in schools.
Other Options: Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory
COLLECTION CONTAINER LOCATIONS
Undamaged used CDs, DVDs, tapes, records, sports cards and comic books. Host town or organization receives a weight based rebate.
Abington Town Hall
500 Gliniewicz Way – Abington
Norma Kent Pastoral Counseling Center
10 Bedford Street – Abington
Kingston Transfer Station
Cranberry Rd. – Kingston
Mondays Noon–7:45 PM Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays 8:00 AM – 3:45 PM
Residents only
Kingston Elementary School
150 Main St. – Kingston
Duxbury Transfer Station
Mayflower St. – Duxbury
Wednesdays – Sundays 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Residents only
Duxbury Student Union
147 St. George St. – Duxbury
Manomet Transfer Station
Plymouth
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Residents only
Hanover Transfer Station
118 Rockland St. – Rockland
Friday – Tuesday 8:00AM – 4:30 PM
Residents only
Rockland Recycling Center
Beech St. – Rockland
Tuesday – Saturday 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Residents only
Hanson Transfer Station
201 Franklin St. – Hanson
residents only
First Baptist Church
214 Main St. – Hanson
First Congregational Church
639 High St. – Hanson
Scituate Transfer Station
280 Driftway St. – Scituate
Friday – Tuesday 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
Residents only
Christ Lutheran Church
460 Cushing Highway – Scituate
Hingham Transfer Station
Hobart Street – Hingham Thursday – Sunday 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Residents only
First Baptist Church of Hingham
85 Main St. – Hingham
(6 foot gray container)
Weymouth DPW
120 Winter St. – Weymouth
Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Residents only
Tufts Library
46 Broad Street – Weymouth
(8 foot gray container)
Lillian Jacobs Elementary School
180 Harborview Road – Hull
Many Senior Centers/ Councils on Aging accept usable medical equipment donations.
Scituate Etrusco Associates
Scituate Estrusco Associates provides loans of gently used durable medical equipment such as manual wheelchairs, walkers, canes, tub seats for use by residents of Scituate, Hull, Hanover, Hingham, Cohasset, Marshfield, Norwell, Duxbury, Pembroke and Kingston. Do accept hospital beds but not power wheelchairs.
1 Common Street – Scituate
781-545-4411
Monday – Friday 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
REquipment, a program of the Mass. Rehabilitation Commission, accepts gently-used durable medical equipment that is less than 5-6 years old. AS of Sept. 2017, they were accepting power and manual wheelchairs, scooters, sling lifts, portable ramps, tub/shower chairs, rollator walkers, adapted strollers, standers and gait trainers, and specialty cushions/mattresses. Equipment should be in good condition or easily repaired. Exceptions may be made with regard to the age or condition of the equipment if it is in high demand, of high-value or unusual to access.
REquipment does not accept hospital beds, built-in-place ramps or stair lifts, braces, CPAP or other medical machines.
Check out their DME Reuse Organizations for other donation options.
Best Buy accepts up to 3 of the following per day: electronics and peripherals, televisions up to 32″, VCR and DVD players, phones, cords, vacuums, fans, select other electric items, and remotes at no charge. Some items have a fee. (Check their site to make sure this list is current).
Green Team Junk Removal accepts appliances at one day events, and also does home pickups.
Lowes accepts appliances for recycling with purchase of new appliance
Anything Metal Removal Services
(free pick up Hanover and north; fee for Freon removal)
(781) 385-1404
Atlantic Metal Recycling
1282 Main Street (Rte. 27) – Hanson
(781) 293-2463
Desac Disposal Recycle and Transfer Station
106 Essex Street – Whitman
(781) 447-0137
Excel Recycling
37 Charlotte White Road – Westport
(508) 636-2780
Mid City Scrap
548 State Road – Westport
(774) 319-5420
Spiegel South Shore Scrap
212 N Cary Street – Brockton
(508) 897-0008
EverSource and National Grid sponsor a refrigerator/freezer recycling rebate program through MassSave for residential customers.
Check your town for compost areas and other places to take your yard waste and leaves
Xray film contains valuable materials. Both B W Recycling and X-Ray Film Disposal Service say they will recover the silver, pay you if quantity warrants, and recycle the film.
Clean Harbors in Braintree accepts X-Ray film at its residential drop-off, open Saturdays from 8 am-noon from April through November.
WHERE: 1 Hill Ave. – Braintree
COST: $3.00/lb checks and credit cards only
CALL: 781-380-7100 ext 0
TVs, monitors, air conditioners and refrigerators also accepted, $20-30 each.
Craigslist listing items for free is an easy and free way to pass along unwanted items. You can also sell items.
Freecycle also hosts local online swaps. Half of our SSRC towns have groups.
“Buy Nothing” groups promote hyper-local giving and receiving for all manner of materials. In the search box on Facebook type the name of your town or community and the words Buy Nothing. See what pops up. Then you just request to join the group. Usually, you are only allowed to join one Buy Nothing group
For general cleanouts, these companies handle many of the listed items and more, and reportedly recycle/reuse to the max (these listings do not constitute an endorsement):
Good Deeds House Cleanout – Pembroke
(781) 308-4447
Resolution Estate Sales – Carver
(508) 465-1939
Green team Junk Removal – Holliston
Robinson’s Recycling and Removal – Norwell
(781) 363-1769
