Household Waste Management

• Automotive fluids
• Auto batteries
• Chlorine bleach
• Cleaners
• Consumer Electronics
• Corrosive chemicals
• Drain openers
• Fluorescent bulbs
• Fluorescent tubes
• Fertilizers
• Gasoline
• Glue adhesives
• Herbicides
• Hobby chemicals
• Household batteries
• Insecticides
• Latex paint
• Mercury thermometers
• Mercury thermostats
• Motor oils and used filters
• Muriatic acid
• Oil-based paints
• Paint thinner
• Pesticides
• Polishes
• Pool chemicals
• Rust remover
• Sharps
• Stains
• Spray paint
• Stripper
• Varnishes
• Waxes
• Weed killer
• Wood preservatives

The County’s Household Hazardous Waste Program cannot accept:

• Ammunition
• Appliances
• Asbestos (including linoleum tiles containing asbestos from older homes)
• Commercial Chemicals or Commercial Quantities (Business Waste)
• E-cigarettes
• Explosives
• Furniture
• Medications
• Tires

Due to the possible health risks associated with handling materials containing asbestos (such as linoleum tiles), please consult the Air Pollution Control Division Asbestos Unit to learn more about safe handling and disposal for asbestos or call 303-692-3150.

If you have any of these other materials listed and have questions about proper disposal methods for them, then please contact the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Customer Technical Assistance Line at 303-692-3320.

Call 1-800-449-7587 or schedule a collection online.

Only one collection kit bag is provided per appointment, so prioritize your materials in order to maximize your collection. The collection kit is a large heavy-duty clear plastic bag that holds about 10 to 12 cans or bottles of material.

1. Follow the instructions that come with your collection kit. Be sure to label your materials.
2. Be sure the most toxic materials you have get into the collection kit bag. Pesticides, insecticides, acids, bases and corrosive chemicals are accepted in the hazardous waste program.
3. Remove paint products if space is not available in the collection kit bag. Most paint products can be recycled at no cost to you at one of the many sponsored PaintCare drop-off locations. To find the nearest drop-off site, use PaintCare’s online search tool at paintcare.org or call the PaintCare hotline at 1-855-724-6809.
4. If you have more material than will fit in the bag, excess materials can be collected for an additional fee. Please call the Household Waste hotline at 1-800-449-7587 prior to your appointment to arrange the collection and payment of excess materials.
5. Set out your collection bag by 7 a.m. on your scheduled appointment collection day, and include the $30 co-payment if you did not pre-pay.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) Household Medication Take-Back Program
Only select law enforcement agencies and Walgreens locations can accept medication and pharmaceutical waste. CDPHE maintains a map and list of drop-off locations.
303-692-2903

View a list of medication take back locations in Douglas County.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Drug Take Back Program
Don’t flush it! Minor amounts of medication can enter the environment and contaminate our drinking water. Drop off medication at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Highlands Ranch Substation at 9250 Zotos Drive on Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. (closed on holidays).

Handle sharps and needles with care! Skin punctures may transmit blood-borne infections.

Visit the Colorado Household Medication and Sharps Takeback Program webpage to learn more about sharps disposal options:

• Kiosks are located across Colorado (see interactive map for state locations).
• Mail in using sharps containers. Some pharmacies and websites sell sharps containers with mail-in labels, ensuring proper treatment and disposal (added cost for this service applies).
  • MedPro offers a compliant sharps and pharmaceutical mail-back service for residents throughout Colorado and meets all state and federal regulations. 1-888-641-6131
• Proper trash disposal:
  • Use a sharps container purchased from a pharmacy or other source, or use a strong plastic container (HDPE plastic with #2 recycling symbol) with a screw-top lid. Used laundry detergent bottles work well. Never use paper or plastic milk jugs. They can puncture. Never use glass containers. They can break and make the hazard worse.
  • Never put a container of sharps in with recyclables. Sharps are not recyclable and not only can they pose an infection risk to workers at recycling facilities, they can render whole batches of recyclables unusable.
  • Used needles/sharps should never be placed loosely in the trash or flushed down the toilet.
  • Containers of sharps should be clearly labeled as “Sharps” or “Biohazard Waste.”
  • Once filled, the container should be firmly sealed (tape the lid) to prevent spillage.
  • Store the sealed sharps container away from children and pets.
  • Place the sealed sharps container in the trash on the day it gets picked up or taken to a landfill.

Rocky Mountain Recycling accepts all major appliances and most small (non-plastic) appliances for recycling. Refrigerated units must be drained of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and tagged before delivery. Capacitors in the air conditioner must also be removed. Call for further information.

6510 Brighton Blvd.
Commerce City, CO 80022
303-288-6868

Clear Choice Antifreeze Recycling remanufactures antifreeze from reclaimed product. Call 303-227-9900 to find a drop-off location near you.

Bud’s Warehouse is a nonprofit organization that accepts usable and working building and renovation materials such as cabinets, appliances, tile, carpet, hardware, light fixtures, doors, windows, bathtubs, and sinks for reuse. Call for details or to arrange a free pick-up for your donation. 

4455 East 46th Avenue
Denver, CO 80216
303-296-3990

Ecoprojex provides pickup for all major working appliances less than seven years old, including A/C units, swamp coolers, and water heaters. Certified to remove chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Call for fees and schedules. 

3750 Dacoro Lane Suite 155
Castle Rock, CO 80109
720-733-8700

Front Range Recycling Services LLC offers free pickup of metal goods including those that contain refrigerants. EPA certified to evacuate refrigerants at no additional cost. 

17255 East Wyoming Place
Aurora, CO 80017
720-588-0268

Reliable Appliance accepts major kitchen and laundry appliances for refurbishing or recycling and is licensed to recycle freon. Drop off (free), or pick up is also available. Will pay cash for late model appliances.

988 Dayton Street
Aurora, CO 80010
303-344-4014

Habitat for Humanity ReStore Home Improvement Outlet accepts appliance drop offs and offers pick-up. The pick-up service is free, but a donation is very helpful in offsetting transport costs.

1640 S Abilene St.
Aurora, CO 80012s
720-904-6739

Resource Area For Teaching (RAFT) transforms surplus materials into hands-on learning activities for students. RAFT has a reputation for knowing what teachers need to create meaningful learning experiences that are filled with the joy of discovery. RAFT accepts donations during its regular business hours.
3827 Steele Street, Unit C
Denver, CO 80205
720-242-8833

LAF Lines accepts crayons by mail and re-manufactures them into Crazy Crayons which are sold through their website. Call or visit the website for instructions.
1-800-561-0922

Used batteries can be a fire hazard and contain toxic chemicals like lithium, cadmium, sulfuric acid and lead. Here are several options for proper disposal:

Interstate All Battery Center
5801 East County Line Place #2
Highlands Ranch, CO 80216Recycl
303-771-1107
Accepts car batteries, rechargeable, and alkaline. Contact Interstate Battery Center with other questions and fees.

Batteries Plus accepts rechargeable batteries and lead-acid batteries. No fees for small quantities. Call for fees and details.
8202 S University Blvd.
Centennial, CO 80122
303-771-7112

8601 W. Cross Drive
Littleton, CO 80123
303-973-4000

11355 S. Parker Road
Parker, CO 80134
303-805-5822

Carpets, Inc.
4975 Paris Street
Denver, CO 80239
720-621-1006
720-252-7731

Refer to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s recommendations for disposing of cooking oils.

Keep your personal information safe by shredding documents. Contact your local UPS or Office Depot store to see if they offer document shredding services.

Green Disk
Technotrash Pack-IT Service
1-800-305-DISK (3475)

E-cigarettes should NOT be placed in your household trash or recycling. The lithium batteries can become damaged and cause fires. Nicotine is toxic and poses a risk to both workers and the environment.

Contact the CDPHE Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division’s Customer Technical Assistance at (303) 692-3320 or [email protected] to get answers about nicotine-containing hazardous waste.

E-cigarettes can be disposed of on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. by appointment:

Rooney Road Recycling
151 S. Rooney Rd.
Golden, CO 80401
(303) 316-6262

Computers and other electronic equipment are prohibited from being disposed of in a landfill. Douglas County residents may recycle their electronics for free year-round through Dec. 30 at Techno Rescue, 3251 Lewiston St., Suite 10 in Aurora, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and on one Saturday each month from 10 am. to 2 p.m. Call 303-482-2207.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment also provides a map and list of electronic recycling services.

Blue Star Recyclers
953 Decatur Street
Denver, CO 80204
303-534-1667

Best Buy Stores take back electronics for a fee. Acceptable Tube TVs must be 32 inches or less. Call your local store or visit the website for more information.

Electronic Recyclers International Inc.
3250 Abilene Street
Aurora, CO 80011
1-800-374-3473 (ERI-DIRECT) 

Gone for Good offers pickup service or drop-off for a fee. Hours are Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm.
101 Kalamath Street
Denver, CO 80223
303-736-2387

Jolly Junk Removal – Denver South
53 Taylor Court
Castle Rock, CO 80104
720-603-5084

Metech Recycling
500 W 53rd Pl
Denver, CO 80216
720-377-7700 

R2 
1865 W. Union Avenue, Unit Q
Sheridan, CO 80110
303-781-1080

Staples

SustainAbility (Denver Location)
1270 Bannock Street
Denver, CO 80223
303-424-1719

Techno Rescue accepts electronics via drop-off (generally free) or pickup (for a charge).
797 Peoria Street Unit #15
Aurora, CO 80011
303-482-2207

Techno Rescue accepts electronics for free for Douglas County residents with proof of residency.
3251 Lewiston Street
Aurora, CO 80011
303-482-2207

Curie Environmental Services

SustainAbility (Denver Location) accepts fire detectors for a fee.
1270 Bannock Street
Denver, CO 80223
303-424-1719

Fire Extinguishers:

Cintas Fire Protection accepts fire extinguishers for recycling and recharging for a fee. Call before arriving for disposal.
3745 E. 50th Ave.
Denver, CO 80216
303-321-0345

Sentry Fire and Safety recycles fire extinguishers for a fee.
1294 S. Inca St.
Denver, CO 80223
1-800-479-2712

Facility Solutions Group accepts fluorescent bulbs. Light bulbs must be boxed. Fees apply for Florescent tubes and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL).
5050 Osage Street
Denver, CO 20221
303-295-1800

Home Improvement Stores (Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware) may accept fluorescent bulbs (NOT tubes). Look for the CFL bins at the front of the store.

Batteries Plus does not accept 8-10ft bulbs. Fees apply.
8202 S University Blvd
Centennial, CO 80122
303-771-7112

994 S. Abilene St.
Aurora, CO 80012
303-745-3333

8601 W. Cross Dr.
Littleton, CO 80123
303-973-4000

11355 S. Parker Road
Parker, CO 80134
303-805-5822

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

Clean Harbors will pick up waste like 55-gallon drums. Contact for fees and scheduling.
303-371-1100

Rooney Road is open by appointment only. Visit the website or call to schedule an appointment in advance. Ask for a fee schedule.
303-316-6262

Veolia is open by appointment only. Visit the website to schedule an appointment in advance. Priced by weight of the waste materials.
9131 E. 96th Avenue
Henderson, CO 80640
303-526-8155

Spring Back Colorado Inc. recycles mattresses and box springs. Call for more information about dropping off at their location or to schedule a pick-up. $40 per piece to recycle mattresses and box springs.
4975 Pontiac street Commerce City CO 80022
720-515-1328

[email protected]

Check with your local auto parts stores such as AutoZone, O’Reilly, Napa, etc.

Colorado thermostat recycling program
Visit the thermostat recycling website to find a drop-off location near you or view the Household Hazardous Waste section above.

Paint stewardship Senate Bill 14-029 provides funding for paint drop-off locations in Colorado. Oil-based paints are flammable and cannot be thrown away or stored in a garage. Latex paint can be mixed with kitty litter, dried out, and disposed of with your regular trash. You may dispose of oil-based and latex paints at one of the following locations:

PaintCare

• Less than 10 gallons: Visit the PaintCare website and type in your zip code to find the most current paint drop-off sites in your area.
• Greater than 10 gallons: Call (720) 854-8722 to see if you qualify for a free pickup.

GreenSheen Paint accepts both latex and oil-based paint. GreenSheen offers paint pickup for qualifying volumes. Visit the GreenSheen website to arrange paint pickup. Coloradans are welcome to drop off up to 100 gallons of paint at GreenSheen at no cost to the following location:

1055 South Jason Street
Denver, CO 80223
303-514-3955
Monday-Friday, 8am – 4:30pm

AAA Propane
7405 W 44th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
303-425-7623

Metro Gas charges a $0.25/canister fee for cylinders up to 20lbs., $1.00/canister for larger cylinders
790 W 64th Ave
Denver, CO 80221
303-428-3036

Colorado Tire Recycling, LLC is open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
5101 Columbine Street
Denver, CO 80216
303-853-0789

Go Green Tires charges $2.00 per tire.
2660 South Federal Blvd. (at Federal and College)
Denver, CO 80219
303-935-1831

J&B Auto Crusher is open Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
4980 Brighton Blvd.
Denver, CO 80216
303-295-2445