Household Waste Collection Day Saturday November 5

The last Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day of 2022 in Cambridge for residents only will be held on Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at 50 Mooney Street. Please enter the event via Smith Place off of Concord Avenue.

If you have no proof of residency or are property manager bringing more than 25 pounds or 25 gallons from a Cambridge residential building, please email recycle@cambridgema.gov in advance.
The city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and Cambridge Police Department will be on site to assist with traffic. To make sure we can accommodate all residents, please take into consideration these tips:

• Please leave items that you do NOT wish to dispose of at home.
• Staff will collect waste from the trunk of your car ONLY. If you have items that are too bulky for just the trunk, please notify staff upon arrival.
• For the safety of DPW staff, city contractors, and the containment of hazardous waste, it’s important that staff manage all handling of hazardous waste.
• Residents should NOT exit their vehicle for any reason at any point during the event.
• If you have a pickup truck, staff can collect the waste from the bed of the pickup truck.
• Bins, buckets, boxes, etc. used to hold containers of the hazardous waste will NOT be returned. For example, if you have a bottle of motor oil that you wish to dispose of, don’t place the plastic bottle in a bin you wish to keep; place the bottle directly in the trunk for the contractors to retrieve.
• If you are walking or biking to the event, there will be a station for you to safely drop‐off items. Please ask for assistance from a Cambridge Police officer or DPW employee before entering the site.

Accepted items include:

• Batteries: Vehicle & Non-Alkaline
• Car Fluids: Antifreeze, Brake, Engine Degreaser, Transmission
•  Car Tires (max four per household)
•  Chemicals: Cleaners, Glues, Removers, Photography & Swimming Pool
•  Fluorescent Light Bulbs
•  Mercury Items: Thermometers & Thermostats
•  Paints: Oil-Based & Latex
•  Poisons: Insecticides, Pesticides & Weed Killers
•  Prescription Medicines (accepted year-round at Cambridge Police Dept. 125 Sixth St.)
•  Propane Cylinders (20 lbs. or less only)
•  Waste Fuels: Antifreeze, Gasoline, Kerosene, Sterno & Motor Oil (motor oil also accepted year-round at DPW)
•  Fire Extinguishers
  
  

Items not accepted include:

• NO Alkaline Batteries
• NO Ammunition, Fireworks & Explosives (contact Cambridge Fire Dept. at 617-349-3300)
• NO Asbestos (requires proper disposal)
• NO Bleach or Ammonia
• NO Commercial/Industrial Waste
• NO Construction Debris
• NO Empty Aerosol Cans
• NO Compressed Gas Cylinders
• NO Infectious or Biological Waste
• NO Radioactive Waste
• NO Smoke Detectors
• NO Syringes (Contact Cambridge Public Health Department at 617-665-3848)

The Cambridge Recycling Dropoff Center located at 147 Hampshire Street, also accepts some of the items listed above, including non-alkaline batteries, fluorescent bulbs and mercury items. Cans of latex paint may be dried out and set out for curbside trash collection, with the lids off. Let evaporate outside or add kitty litter to speed drying. Hours of operation for the Recycling Center are Tuesday, 4:00-7:30 p.m., Thursday, 4:00-7:30 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Learn more at Cambridgema.gov/hazardouswaste.