Reduce the use of toxics in your home... and responsibly dispose of what waste you do generate.

Common Wastes Mercury Batteries Computers and Electronics Latex Paint Oil-Based Paint Used Motor Oil Fluorescent Light Bulbs Pesticides For many of the materials listed below, it is suggested that the material be taken to a household hazardous waste collection. Please see the HHW Collection Schedule to find out when and where a collection is available to you. What should I do with MERCURY? Don't Trash Mercury! Awareness of the problems with mercury (Hg) has increased greatly in recent years. Items you might have around your home that may contain mercury include: thermometers with silver liquid thermostats (non-digital), gas-fired appliances, fluorescent light bulbs, button-size batteries, diary barn manometers, and more. Products with mercury in them should not be thrown in the trash. They should be taken to a Hazardous Waste collection. This is because mercury is harmful to human health and the environment. Damage to the nervous system, brain, and reproductive system can occur through inhaling mercury vapors or through consumption of contaminated fish or birds. Children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable to mercury poisening. Where's the risk? Fish and loons often have elevated mercury levels in their bodies. When mercury gets into surface waters, it is transformed by aquatic microorganisms into methyl mercury. Methyl mercury is bioligically retained in the organisms much more easily than elemental mercury. Then the methyl mercury "bioaccumulates" as bigger creatures eat lots of little creatures. The animals at the top of the food chain, like fish and loons, therefore have accumulated the most mercury--that's why there are fish consumption advisories in New England and loons die. MERC Vermont For more information about what's happening with mercury in Vermont, visit the web page of the Mercury Education and Reduction Campaign http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/ead/mercury/merc.htm . Mad as a Hatter? In the past, felt hat makers used mercury while making their hats. Their exposure to mercury lead to the deterioration of their brain and left them, well... mad! Hence the expression. What do I do if I break a mercury fever thermometer? If you break a mercury thermometer (or have any sort of mercury spill), it's important that it be cleaned up. Immediately after the spill, keep all people and pets away from the spill area. To minimize the mercury that vaporizes, turn off any heaters and turn up any air conditioners. Ventilate the area by opening windows, when possible, and leave open for at least two days. NEVER USE A VACUUM to clean up a mercury spill. Not only will the mercury contaminate your vacuum, the heat from the vacuum will evaporate the mercury, further distributing it throughout the house. Similarly, never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will only distribute the mercury into smaller beads, and will contaminate the broom. Useful items for the clean up include latex gloves, an eyedropper, two stiff pieces of paper, a flashlight, and duct tape or packing tape, and a container you can seal like a wide-mouth jar or large zip-lock bag. Remember that any tools used for the clean up should be considered contaminated and disposed of with the mercury. Remove all jewelry and watches as mercury will bond with the metal. Put on gloves to minimize your contact with the mercury. Use the flashlight to locate the mercury. The light will reflect off the mercury beads and make them easier to find. You can use the stiff paper to push beads of mercury together. Use the eyedropper to suction the beads of mercury, or use the paper to carefully lift the beads into the container. Pick up remaining beads of mercury with sticky tape. Place all the items you've used into the container and label it as mercury waste. Then bring it to a hazardous waste collections for proper disposal. What should I do with BATTERIES? Since many people have questions about batteries, we include this list on how to best handle different types. Regular Alkaline Batteries: (AAA, AA, C, D, 9-Volt) Go in trash. The mercury in these batteries was removed in the mid-1990's. Note: The squat batteries used in cameras are usually Lithium, not alkaline, and should go to a HHW collection. Rechargeable batteries: Should be recycled through: A retailer participating in the RBRC (http://www.rbrc.org) take-back program (they also take cell phones at these locations): Best Buy Home Depot Sears Radio Shack US Cellular Staples, or Taken to HHW collection. Also, GUVSWD District residents can bring rechargeable batteries in to the GUVSWD offices during business hours (see http://www.guvswd.org/yearround). Button Batteries: Button-sized batteries should be taken to an HHW collection. Car Batteries: Many car parts stores will take back the old battery when you buy a new one. Also check your local recycling center to see if they take them or know who does. Or they can be brought to an HHW collection. Further Details: Regular alkaline batteries: These used to be hazardous due to mercury content. Mercury, if released into the environment, can contaminate lakes and streams, the plants and animals who live there, and eventually people who eat the fish. In 1996, Congress enacted the "Battery Act," which among other things banned the use of mercury in these batteries. The State of NH beat them to the punch by enacting similar legislation in 1995 for batteries sold in NH. So what it comes down to is that batteries manufactured and sold before 1995 or 1996 probably have mercury in them and should be taken to a household hazardous waste (HHW) collection event. Those made after that can simply be tossed into the trash. One exception to the "new is safe" rule is foreign batteries--U.S. law has no bearing on what Japan or other nations might put in their batteries, so you may want to bring those to an HHW collection. Please Note: No batteries should be thrown into trash which will be incinerated due to the potential for heavy metals going up the stack. Most municipalities which incinerate their trash have an active battery recycling program. Trash from GUVSWD residents is sent to a landfill, not incinerated, that is why we recommend trashing them here. Plymouth, Windsor, Springfield, Westminster, and towns in between send their trash to an incinerator, so please recycle batteries if you live there. Rechargeable Batteries: All rechargeable batteries seem to have something in them that makes them hazardous, and valuable as a recyclable, usually heavy metals. Therefore, all rechargeable batteries should be recycled or taken to a HHW event. The most popular rechargeable batteries are Nickel-Cadmium, known as Ni-Cd (pronounced nie'-cad). Another common type is Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH). Rechargeables are used for power tools, cell phones, laptops, flashlights, and many other household items. Most retailers that sell rechargeables also take old ones back free of charge and send them to a not-for-profit group called the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (http://www.rbrc.org) who reclaims the metals in them. They can also be taken to HHW events. Button Batteries: Button batteries are found in small items such as hearing aids, watches, and toys and are about the size of--you guessed it--a button. Button batteries can be alkaline, silver, mercury-oxide, or other cell-type. It is best to take any button batteries to an HHW event for collection as all of them contain some sort of hazardous material. Alkaline button batteries contain mercury even though their larger cousins do not. Auto Batteries: Car batteries are known as "wet-cell" lead-acid as they contain liquid sulfuric acid. Due to both the acid and the lead, car batteries are considered hazardous. Yet because they contain so much lead which is easily reclaimed, they have value. Auto parts stores sometimes give rebates on new batteries when you bring in your old one. Or take it to a metal recycler, recycling center that takes them (e.g. "Hartford Recycling Center"), or to a hazardous waste collection. What should I do with LATEX PAINT? Latex paint is not accepted at Upper Valley hazardous waste collection events. This is because latex paint can safely be disposed of in regular trash if dry. Do not put liquid paint in the trash and do not dump it down the drain! Septic and sewer systems are not designed to treat any type of paint, oil-based or latex. It can contaminate your soil and drinking water or pollute streams and rivers. Also, do not put liquid paint in the trash as it can make a terrible mess. First try to find a friend or neighbor who can use the paint, then dry out using one of these methods before trashing: Easy and Fast (not cheap): Purchase some waste paint hardener, stir it in, and throw out with your regular trash. The hardener is like the absorbent in diapers and instantly changes latex into a tapioca-like semi-solid that can go in trash. Available at: Aubuchons Online, 1-800-282-4393, http://www.hardwarestore.com (search: "paint hardener"). Easy and Cheap (not fast): Just leave the container open in a well ventilated area in warm weather for a long time, until the paint has solidified. Leave the lid off and toss it in the trash. Fast and Cheap (not easy): Add kitty-litter, sawdust, or another absorbent material to the liquid paint, using a one-to-two ratio of kitty-litter to paint. Stir the litter into the paint, let dry a minimum of two days, leave the lid off the can and throw it away. Faster and Cheap (not easy): Line a cardboard box with a plastic bag, pour the paint into the bag and let it dry for awhile until dry. Close up the bag and it can then be thrown away. Empty Paint Cans -- Empty paint cans are not hazardous waste. Empty, dry metal cans (with less than 1/2 inch of dry paint residue in bottom of can) usually can be recycled as scrap metal or thrown away as trash. Plastic paint containers, once empty and dry, are trash. What should I do with OIL-BASED PAINT? Oil-based paint (often denoted as "alkyd") should always be treated as hazardous waste and be taken to a household hazardous waste event. Also, stains, thinners, enamels, urethanes--anything that says you need mineral spirits for clean up--should be saved tightly sealed and taken to a HHW collection. Empty Paint Cans -- Empty paint cans are not hazardous waste. Empty, dry metal cans (with less than 1/2 inch of dry paint residue in bottom of can) usually can be recycled as scrap metal or thrown away as trash. Plastic paint containers, once empty and dry, are trash. What should I do with USED MOTOR OIL? Residents often can take their used motor oil (no other automotive fluids), often free of charge, to local service stations. When using one of these commercial locations, please call ahead to be sure they are still accepting it, and follow the requirements listed below. Hanover Co-op Service Station, Hanover. 643-2667. Chucks Automotive, Thetford. 785-2253. Woodstock Sunoco, Woodstock. 457-1114. Norwich, Lebanon, and some other town's residents can use the collection tanks at their town's recycling center. Requirements: The oil must be "clean" (No water, No antifreeze, No other fluids mixed with it). No more than 5 gallons at a time. Container must be clear -- milk jugs work well. Vermonters can also use their HHW collections. Sometimes GUVSWD has a local used motor oil collection too (see http://www.guvswd.org/schedule). If the oil has been contaminated with water, antifreeze, or leaves, etc., please hold on to it and bring it to a HHW collection. Remember: When used oil is dumped on the ground or poured down the drain, it becomes a serious pollutant of our ground and surface waters. If you change your own oil, please do your part and find a proper disposal method. What should I do with FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS? Fluorescent light bulbs (FLBs) are long-lasting and energy-efficient -- making them a good choice for your wallet and the environment. But they become a hazard when not properly recycled because they contain mercury. When an FLB is thrown in the trash it usually breaks, releasing mercury which can pollute the air, water, and eventually our bodies. Fluorescent light bulbs are accepted at all HHW collections. All True Value hardware stores in Vermont and New Hampshire will accept up to six bulbs from residential customers at no charge. GUVSWD District residents can bring the lamps to the GUVSWD offices during business hours (see http://www.guvswd.org/yearround). What should I do with PESTICIDES? Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and the like should be handled with care and waste material brought to a HHW collection. Vermonters: Thanks to grant funding through the Vermont Department of Agriculture, GUVSWD is able to take pesticides from Vermont residents, farmers, and businesses free of charge. This is part of a program to remove old pesticides and herbicides from barns, basements, store rooms, and garages around the state. If you are a Vermont grower, farm, or business, please pre-register by contacting GUVSWD at 296-3688 or by email at guvswd@valley.net. Upper Valley Household Hazardous Waste Committee c/o Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission 30 Bank St, Lebanon, NH 03766-1756 (603) 448-1680