The following items are examples of items accepted at HHW events. If you do not see your item listed, please contact the Main Office before bringing your item, in case we cannot take it. The Main Office is available Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm at (919) 542-5516 or email us anytime at recycle@chathamcountync.gov.

From your house:

• aerosol cans
• batteries*+
• bleach
• cleaners (kitchen, bathroom, etc.)
• disinfectants
• fire extinguishers
• furniture polish
• fluorescent light bulbs*
• nail polish/remover

From your workshop:

• adhesives
• gas cylinders
• paint- 20 gallon latex paint limit
• solvents
• stains
• strippers
• thinners
• varnish
• wood & metal cleaners
• wood preservatives

From your garage:

• antifreeze
• auto batteries*+
• brake fluid
• degreasers
• diesel fuel
• gasoline or mixed gas
• kerosene
• motor oil & filters+
• parts cleaner
• transmission fluid+

From your yard:

• herbicides
• lighter fluid
• pesticides
• poisons
• pool chemicals
• propane tanks

*These items are also accepted at the Main Facility during regular hours. No decal required.
+These items are accepted at the 12 Collection Centers with a current decal. Note: Some items may have restrictions at the Collection Centers.

Hazardous waste from businesses will not be accepted at HHW events. A business is defined as any income-generating source, such as at-home businesses, farms, contractors, builders, etc. It also does not matter whether the business is currently operating. Chatham County and HHW contractors may refuse items if it is suspected to be from a business until its source can be verified. Learn about options for hazardous waste for businesses.

Other items NOT accepted at HHW events:

• ammunition
• asbestos
• electronics (learn about options for Electronics Recycling)
• explosives
• firearms
• inert debris
• infectious waste
• radioactive materials
• scrap metal
• tires
• trash
• yard waste

Visit our online disposal guide for details on how to dispose of these and many other items. If the items isn't on How Do I Dispose of…  contact the Main Office Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm at (919) 542-5516 or email us anytime at recycle@chathamcountync.gov.

Approximately 60% of the material brought to Chatham County's HHW events is liquid latex paint. It is the most costly item collected in total. Yet, latex paint is only hazardous when in a liquid form. This paint limit will help Solid Waste & Recycling save our budget to handle more hazardous wastes.

Residents can bring 20 gallons of latex paint cans per HHW event. If you have a 1 gallon paint can that has half a gallon in it, it will count as 1 gallon. Feel free to combine partial cans of latex paint.

Please note that this rule only applies to latex paint. Any other type of paint (oil-based, spray, etc.) cannot be hardened, so should be brought to HHW and does not have a limit.

Latex paint can be safely dried out and put in with your regular trash instead of bringing it to an HHW event. See the instructions in the "Drying Latex Paint" section below. It does not have to be completely solidified– more like a paste. When dried, latex paint can be taken to any of the 12 Collection Centers (current decal required) or put in with your curbside trash.

Instead of drying it up, you can also paint something, then throw that item away once the paint is dry.

When completing a paint project, be sure to correctly estimate the amount of paint needed, so you do not have a lot leftover. If a contractor is painting for you, they should take excessive paint back with them, as it is their responsibility to dispose of it properly.

Latex paint can be safely dried out and put in with regular trash instead of bringing it to an HHW event. It does not have to be completely solidified– more like a paste. When dried, latex paint can be taken to any of the 12 Collection Centers (current decal required) or put in with curbside trash.

• To dry out latex paint, take off the lid and let it sit outside in a covered area.
• Add kitty litter, sand, or sawdust to speed up the process.
• There should not be any liquid that can run out. See the images below for the steps and final product.

       

    

When dried, latex paint can be taken to any of the 12 Collection Centers (current decal required) or put in with curbside trash.

Instead of drying it up, you can also paint something, then throw that item away once the paint is dry.

When completing a paint project, be sure to correctly estimate the amount of paint needed, so you do not have a lot leftover. If a contractor is painting for you, they should take excessive paint back with them, as it is their responsibility to dispose of it properly.

Please note– Only latex paint can be dried or hardened. Other types of paint cannot be hardened and should be brought to an HHW event and do not have a limit.

The Chatham County Sheriff's Office will conduct a medicine take back at some HHW events as a way for residents to safely dispose of unwanted medications. No needles, sharps, or liquids will be accepted. The Sheriff's Office will be at the April 18, July 18, and November 21 HHW events in 2025.

Unused medication should not be thrown away in the trash or down the drain. It should be properly disposed of at a Medication Drop Boxes, no questions asked. Drop boxes are located at:

• Chatham County Detention Center- 627 Renaissance Drive, Pittsboro (919) 545-7802
• Pittsboro Police Department- 635 East Street, Pittsboro (919) 542-3200
• Siler City Police Department- 312 North Chatham Avenue, Siler City (919) 742-5626
• Siler City Pharmacy- 202 East Raleigh Street #A, Siler City (919) 663-5541
• 501 Pharmacy- 69 Knox Way Suite 110, Chapel Hill, NC (984) 999-0501

Empty pills into a plastic zip lock bag. Drop zip lock bag into the medication drop box. Throw the empty original pill container into the regular trash. No sharps (needles, pins, syringes) or liquids of any kind can be accepted at the drop boxes.

Visit Chatham Drug Free to learn more- chathamdrugfree.org

When packaging your materials, do not mix wastes together in the same container. If possible, leave materials in their original containers with labels intact or write on the container what it is. Put them in the trunk of your car in a cardboard box lined with newspaper. If you put it in a container that you want returned, you will be instructed to pull off to the side until your container can be unloaded.

To help with traffic flow and safety, residents should stay in their vehicle at all times. Staff will unload items.

As with all Solid Waste & Recycling (SW&R) programs, the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) events are funded through the annual $157 solid waste fee that residents in the unincorporated area of Chatham County pay. Town residents of Apex, Cary, Goldston, Pittsboro, and Siler City do not pay the solid waste fee and do not offer HHW services to their residents.

The HHW program costs have been increasing each year, with significant increases since fiscal year 2022. The cost per visitor to HHW events was $54.83 in fiscal year 2024. There are also more town residents with the recent annexations by several towns, and more residents coming through new development.

In December 2024, SW&R staff proposed to each town solid waste department that they pay into the HHW program, so their residents can continue to use the HHW program. Since SW&R already tracks visitors by address, the proposal was to bill each town annually based on the percentage of visitors from their town who used the HHW program.

The Towns of Cary, Pittsboro and Siler City have all signed an agreement to participate in Chatham County’s HHW program. The Towns of Apex and Goldston declined to participate. Therefore, all visitors to HHW events must have a decal to use the facility, or live within the town limits of Cary, Pittsboro, or Siler City. If visitors do not have a decal or live in one of those towns, they will be turned away from HHW events. Town residents can pay the solid waste fee and purchase a decal if they would like to have access.

Town residents should contact their town government for assistance with their HHW materials:

• Town of Apex- (919) 362-8676
• Town of Goldston- (919) 898-4441