What is hazardous?
Garbage and recycling › Guide to hazardous waste › What is hazardous?
Wondering what to do with those old paint cans, motor oil and solvents – and how to best dispose of them? Whether you’re a home or business, Metro has drop off centers to take your hazardous waste.
Many household products you use in your yard and home can hurt people, fish and wildlife if used or disposed of incorrectly. You may be surprised at the products in your home that have the words "warning" and "caution" or even "poison" on the label. You should never dispose of your household toxic trash down the sink, on the ground, down a storm drain or in your garbage can.
Bring these kinds of items to Metro's neighborhood collection events or permanent facilities for disposal:
- paints and stains
- pool and spa chemicals
- pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and poisons
- motor oil, antifreeze and other automotive fluids
- thinners and solvents
- household cleaners and disinfectants
- batteries
- art and hobby chemicals
- aerosol spray products
- sharps (medical syringes)
- propane tanks or bottles from barbecue grills
- compact fluorescent light bulbs or CFLs, fluorescent tubes and ballasts (up to 12 tubes will be accepted at neighborhood collection events)
- mercury containing items such as thermometers and thermostats
Please prepare materials properly before bringing them in... Learn how
Metro recycles most of what it collects and disposes of the rest in a landfill specially designed for hazardous waste. Metro recycles latex paint and sells it in 5-gallon pails and 1-gallon cans.
What can you do?
You can choose to use less-toxic products in your home and garden. By learning about and trying alternative garden and yard care methods, you'll reduce your need to use pesticides and fertilizers.
If you live in Oregon outside Clackamas, Multnomah or Washington counties, call 1-800-RECYCLE for household hazardous waste event information in your community.