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What can't go in the truck at all?

Hazardous and pressurized material: chemicals, paint, propane and other tanks, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, asbestos, medical waste, liquids and anything flammable or corrosive. Most of it goes to a household hazardous waste day instead.

Some things cannot go in a tote or a dumpster at any price, because they are dangerous in a packer truck or banned from disposal outright.

Never, in any container:

  • Chemicals, solvents, pesticides and pool chemicals
  • Wet paint and stains
  • Propane tanks and any pressurized cylinder
  • Batteries of every kind, especially lithium-ion
  • Fluorescent tubes and CFL bulbs
  • Asbestos
  • Medical and biomedical waste, including sharps
  • Motor oil, antifreeze and gasoline
  • Ammunition, flares and anything explosive

The reason is not paperwork. A truck body compacts its load at several tons of force. A propane cylinder or a lithium battery going through that is a fire or an explosion with a person standing behind it. Truck fires from batteries have become one of the worst problems in this industry.

Where these go instead: your town runs household hazardous waste collection days through the year, and they take nearly all of this. We keep the upcoming dates for all 28 towns on hazardous waste collection days.

A few items on this list can be collected as priced bulk items rather than hazardous waste: a 20 lb propane tank is $30, a car battery is $20, and a can of fully dried paint is $20. Call 508-822-2208 and ask rather than guessing. The tote-by-tote lists are on what goes in your totes.

Still not sure? Call the office.

We answer the phone Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If your question is about your own address, a call is always faster than a form.

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