Washtenaw County’s Home Toxics Reduction Program offers a FREE option for household hazardous waste disposal near us. This toxic drop off near Ann Arbor is only for waste generated at home and not from the workplace.
Home Toxics Reduction Program
Are you wondering where there is paint and oil disposal near Ann Arbor? Are you looking for battery recycling near you? The Washtenaw County Home Toxics Center is the solution for disposal of all of these (and more) hazardous materials!
Saturday Collection Events for Ann Arbor Hazardous Waste Disposal
The Collection Center is open from 9a-noon on the first three Saturdays of each month (except holiday weekends) from April-November for household hazardous waste collection. We have used this collection several times. I find it easier to just show up on a Saturday morning than to set an appointment.
Weekday Options
As of fall 2023, they have changed the weekday collections. Appointments are now required.
Weekday appointments are now at the HHW Center in Northville. Appointments are avialable Tuesday through Thursday. Appointments are only for Washtenaw County, Northville Township or City of Northvile residents.
Items must be from home use, not a business, government entity, or other organization.
Appointments can be made on their website.
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Location
There are now two locations for Household Hazardous Waste Disposal.
- Weekends – Home Toxics Center – 705 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor Behind the Western Washtenaw County Service Center.
- Weekdays – HHW Center – 10843 W. Five Mile Rd, Northville
Accepted Materials at Ann Arbor Toxic Waste Disposal
The full list of toxic materials accepted at the Home Toxins Collection Program can be found on the county website They only accept household waste from county residents. For non-residents and businesses, you will have to find another option.
We visited with the express purpose of recycling alkaline batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs. They also accept rechargeable batteries, other fluorescent light bulbs, and LED light bulbs. I love that there is such a simple option to recycle batteries near me. I’ve also looked for paint disposal in Ann Arbor, and often just had to dry out the remaining paint in a can.
They are a safe disposable location for sharps and syringes. Other materials include automotive fluids, latex (liquid form) and certain other paints, and many household and yard chemicals. They also offer recycling for smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and propane tanks. I wish I had known about the smoke detector recycling when we replaced ours a few years ago when they had expired. We will be bringing an expired propane tank on our next visit.
Non-Accepted Materials
Some household hazardous waste is not accepted. The full list of unacceptable items can be found on the County Website. Items not accepted include asbestos, tires, compost, electronic waste (TVs, computers, etc), medical waste, pharmaceuticals, and more. The county typically hosts a couple recycling events a year where you can recycle TVs, small appliances, tires, and more waste.
My Experience at Washtenaw County Hazardous Waste Disposal
Since we live on the east side of Ann Arbor, the Western County Service Center is not that convenient for our family. However, it worked perfectly this weekend as my daughter was attending a noon birthday party near Liberty and Zeeb. We arrived to the collection site around 11:25a. There were about 6 cars in front of us. There was plenty of assistance unloading vehicles and it was our turn in 6 minutes (yes, I timed it). Once we pulled to the front of the line, I hopped out of the car, handed over my 3 boxes, and headed out to stop at Meijer for a present for the birthday party.
We have used the disposal program a few times with similar experiences. Battery disposal in Ann Arbor is probably our most frequent need.
Reducing Household Hazardous Waste
While it is great to safely dispose of your hazardous household waste, it is also great to reduce your generation of hazardous household waste. We have largely switched to LED bulbs which do not contain mercury like the CFL bulbs. We have also switched to rechargeable batteries for most applications. However, there are a few applications where we find alkaline batteries are a better fit – smoke detectors, television remotes, etc.
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