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Household Hazardous Wastes

(970) 498-5771 or (970) 498-5773
(970) 498-5770 (24-hour information line)

What is Household Hazardous Waste?
Hours & Location
Map
Materials Accepted
Unacceptable Materials
Used Motor Oil and Batteries
Fluorescent Bulbs
Sharps (Hypodermic Needles) and Medications
Drop N' Swap
Tours
Business Wastes
Links to Other Haz Waste Sites
Household Hazardous Waste Fact Sheets
Be Waste Smart - Put Hazardous Waste In Its Place (streaming video)

Residential hazardous waste is accepted from Larimer County residents at no charge. Business or commercial hazardous wastes are accepted at low cost through our BHAPE Program (Business Hazardous Waste Assistance Program and Education). Because of State and Federal Regulations, we cannot accept business waste without an appointment. Call 498-5760 for more information on the "Be Happy" Program.

What is Household Hazardous Waste?

Household hazardous waste (HHW) is any substance containing ingredients that could negatively affect your safety, health or the environment. Signal words found on hazardous products include poison, danger, warning and caution. They can be found on a wide range of products, including furniture polish, bleach, antifreeze, insecticides, paint, mothballs and much more.

Also look for indications of hazardous properties on the label. Such properties are defined by the Environmental Hazards Management Institute as follows:

Toxic: can cause injury or death if swallowed, absorbed or inhaled
Flammable: easily catches fire and tends to burn rapidly
Corrosive: a chemical or its vapors that can cause a material or living tissue to be destroyed
Explosive: violently bursting when exposed to pressure or heat
Irritant: causes soreness or swelling of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes or respiratory system
Another hazardous property you may see on a label is reactive. This means the product contains chemicals that, if combined with certain other substances, could result in hazardous reactions such as gaseous emissions or explosions.

Why can't I just throw HHW away with the trash?

Dumping unused portions of household hazardous wastes in the trash or down the drain can cause safety and environmental problems. If buried in the landfill, chemicals can react and cause explosions or make their way into the groundwater. While the county strictly monitors the landfill's groundwater and gas emissions, and acts quickly to rectify any problems found, it sure is easier to prevent such problems from occurring in the first place by properly disposing of or recycling hazardous wastes.

So please act responsibly! Bring your unwanted HHW to the county's hazardous waste collection facility at the landfill. It's free!

Hours & Location

Household hazardous wastes like pesticides, paint thinners and household cleaning supplies are accepted at the Collection Facility:

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

All hazardous waste brought to the Collection Facility must be in a labeled, non-leaking container that can be left at the site.

The County opened the Rocky Mountain region's first permanent household hazardous waste collection facility in 1989. In 1990, a second site was opened at the Estes Park Transfer Station. (This site only accepts paint.) Since that time, more than 17 million pounds of household hazardous wastes have been diverted from the landfill. The main Collection Facility is located at the Larimer County Landfill south of Fort Collins on Taft Hill Road, or north of Loveland on Wilson Ave. See map.

Examples of Materials Accepted:

Acids	Dioxin Pesticides	Lubricants	Rug/Upholstery
Adhesives	Disinfectants	Moth Balls/flakes	Cleaners
Aerosols	Drain Cleaners	Nail Polish/Remover	Rust Solvents
Airplane glue	Dry Gas	Oven Cleaners	Silvex (pesticide)
Antifreeze	Fiberglass Resins	Paints (oil based/latex)	Spot Removers
Flea Products	Paint Removers	Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Batteries (other)	Furniture Polish	Paint Thinners	Tub/Tile Cleaners
Brake Fluid	Hair Removers	Pesticides	Turpentine
Cements	Herbicides	Photo Chemicals	Varnish
Chemistry Sets	Hobby Chemicals	Pool Chemicals	Waste Fuels
Chlorine	Inks	Propane Cylinders (up to 30#)	Weed Killers
Cleaning Fluids	Insecticides	Rat Poisons	Wood Preservatives
Corrosives	Insect Repellents	Rubber Cements	Wood Stains
Degreasers	Lacquers

Do Not Bring the Following Unacceptable Materials:

Asbestos Material (Call 498-5771 for disposal information).
Explosives - Shock sensitive materials such as dynamite, ammunition, picric acid, fireworks, and firearms. (Call the Sheriff's Dept. at 498-5100).
Pathological wastes
Known PCB wastes.
Radioactives - includes smoke detectors.
Larimer County reserves the right to refuse any material that is unacceptable by the managing site staff.

Other Types of Materials:

Used Motor Oil and Batteries

Used motor oil generated through household use is accepted for disposal any time the landfill is open. You must be able to pour the oil from your container into our tank. Crankcase oil, motor oil and transmission fluid ONLY are accepted in the oil tank. Contaminated oil or brake fluid must be taken to the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility.

Car batteries are also accepted for recycling at the landfill any time during business hours at no charge. Nickel cadmium or lithium batteries should be taped on each side or on the contacts and brought to the collection facility. Alkaline dry cell batteries, or flashlight batteries, should also be taped on both contact ends and brought to the HHW facility for recycling.

Fluorescent Bulbs

Fluorescent bulbs, including compact fluorescents, contain mercury and should not be thrown away in the trash. Instead, bring them to our facility during regular open hours and we'll recycle or dispose of them properly. For businesses disposing of these bulbs, the process is a bit different. Also, read these guidelines for what to do if a fluorescent bulb breaks. And check this list for other convenient recycling options for compact flourescent bulbs.

Sharps (Hypodermic Needles) and Medications

The hazardous waste facility accepts used hypodermic needles from county residents who self-medicate. Many people throw used needles–often called "sharps"–into their regular trash. Unfortunately, this disposal method puts landfill and trash hauler employees at risk from needle sticks. Instead, we encourage county residents to bring used sharps to our facility on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays ONLY between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. No fees are charged. Sharps must be brought in an OSHA-approved sharps container, which can be purchased from most local drug stores. Needles brought in any other containers or loose needles will not be accepted. More information is available in our brochure.

County residents can drop off leftover over-the-counter medications at any time during regular hours. Prescription drugs may be taken to your local Good Day Pharmacy for proper disposal. Recent research is finding that some medications disposed of by flushing down toilets or drains may have harmful effects on fish and other aquatic life, so please dispose of pharmaceuticals responsibly.

Drop 'N' Swap

The Drop 'N' Swap is a favorite among County residents. Through the Drop 'N' Swap, we offer usable, low-toxicity products under our "Buy none, get one free" policy.

Here's how it works: Say you need about half a gallon of latex paint, a little bit of copper cleaner, just enough pesticide to kill a pesky patch of weeds, and campstove fuel to get through the weekend. Chances are we have all these items and more. Just stop by the Hazardous Waste Facility, pick up what you want, and let us thank you on the way out.

About 30,000 pounds of hazardous household products are reused through the Drop 'N' Swap program each year, keeping them out of the landfill and out of groundwater. The best way to dispose of chemicals is to use them up as they were originally intended to be used, which is just what this program does. And, of course, it's free!

The Drop 'N' Swap is open Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Effective October 1, 2009, the paint drop wagon will no longer be available. Please do not leave any items on the ground or outside the building when the facility is closed.

Tour Information

Schoolchildren enjoying a tour of the hazardous waste facility

The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility offers tours to the public. Schools, boy/girl scout troops, businesses, or anyone else who may be interested in finding out more about the operation may call 498-5760 to set up a tour of the facility.

For more information on hazardous wastes call 498-5760 between 8 and 4:30 Monday through Friday.