Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day Saturday, November 2

The last of four Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days in 2024 will be on Saturday, November 2, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at 51 Mooney Street. Please enter the event via Fawcett St.  This event is for Cambridge residents only.

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 will be on site to help with traffic. For worker safety and hazardous waste containment, only staff should handle hazardous waste. So that 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 or the bed of your pickup truck ONLY. If you have items that are too bulky for the trunk, please notify staff upon arrival.
• Residents should NOT exit their vehicle for any reason at any point during the event.
• Bins, buckets, boxes, etc. will NOT be returned. For example, do not place the bottle of motor oil in a bin you wish to keep. Place the bottle directly in the trunk.
• If you are walking or biking, there will be a station for you to safely drop‐off items. Before entering the site, please ask a Cambridge Police officer or DPW employee for help.

 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
•  Fire Extinguishers
  

Items not accepted include:

• NO Alkaline Batteries (Trash)
• NO Ammunition, Fireworks & Explosives (call Police Explosive Ordinance Unit 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 (Trash)
• NO Syringes (Contact Cambridge Public Health Department at dmcpeak@cambridgepublichealth.org). 

Other places in Cambridge accept some items listed above. You can set out dried out cans of latex paint for curbside trash collection, with the lids off. Let evaporate outside or add kitty litter to speed drying.

During open hours, the Recycling Center at 147 Hampshire accepts:

• Non-alkaline batteries,
• Fluorescent bulbs,
• Mercury items
• Motor oil

The Recycling Center is open: Tuesdays and Thursdays 4PM-7:30PM, Saturdays 9AM-4PM.

Learn more at Cambridgema.gov/hazardouswaste.