Watertown residents can dispose of household hazardous waste, such as garden chemicals, batteries, and motor oil over on June 11.
The Watertown Department of Public Works provided the following information:
The next Household Hazardous Waste Collection will be on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at the Minuteman Household Hazardous Products Regional Facility at the Lexington Compost Facility, 60 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421 from 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Hazardous Waste Collection requires online pre-registration.
Proposed 2022 Hazardous Waste Collection dates are below. The Collection will be between 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Saturday, June 11, 2022
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Saturday, August 20, 2022
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Saturday, October 15, 2022
Saturday, November 5, 2022
NOTE: Registration is required for all HHW collection dates.
Event Guidelines
- Hazardous materials will ONLY be accepted from trunks, the backs of SUV’s and pick-up truck beds. Do not bring items in your back seat or other areas of your car/truck.
- Please DO NOT exit your vehicle for any reason.
- Face coverings are MANDATORY.
- Please DO NOT roll down your vehicle windows.
- Your Driver’s license MUST be available and held up to your window for registration on site.
- Please DO NOT bring containers that you want back. NO containers will be returned.
See additional information and guidelines (PDF)
Directions to the facility:
From Rte 128 take exit 31 (Rte 4/225 heading towards Bedford).
At the first light take a right, via jug handle, onto Hartwell Ave.
The composting facility site is ¼ mile on the left just after the bike path .
Description of Services:
Residents of Lexington and participating communities may help protect the environment by taking common household hazardous products (see the full list) to the Minuteman Facility on Hartwell Avenue in Lexington.
- Please bring identification and proof of residency with you to the center.
- Please do not make multiple trips per event. This slows down the event and it increases the cost to your town, as each town is assessed a fee based on the quantity of material per car brought to the site.
- The Minuteman Hazardous Products Facility reserves the right to refuse unidentified materials or unacceptable amounts of hazardous waste.
A separate program for small businesses and very small quantity generators (VSQG’s) is also available by pre-registration.
What Hazardous Products Can I Bring?
General Household Materials
- Acids (corrosives)
- Aerosol cans (excluding empty cans)
- Art supplies
- Batteries – Alkaline batteries manufactured before 1994 and all NiCad, button, zinc and lithium batteries
- Chemistry set chemicals
- Fiberglass resins
- Furniture, floor, metal polishes and strippers
- Hobby supplies (rubber cement, airplane glue etc.)
- Mercury containing devices (switches, thermostats, fluorescent lamps, compact fluorescent bulbs (energy efficient bulbs), broken fluorescent bulbs, thermometers, blood pressure equipment)
- Moth balls/crystals
- Oil paint and paint thinners, varnish, stain and shellac (no Latex Paint is allowed)
- Paint Strippers
- Photography chemicals
- Rug and upholstery cleaners
- Solvent adhesives
- Turpentine and other paint solvents
- Wood preservatives
Bathroom Products
- Hair dye
- Nail polish remover
- Toilet cleaners
Laundry Materials
- Brighteners
- Chlorine bleach
- Spot removers
- Spray starch
- Whiteners
Kitchen Materials
- Drain cleaners
- Lighter fluids
- Oven cleaners
Lawn and Garden Materials
- Cesspool cleaners (corrosives)
- Flammable liquids/Gasoline
- Flea and tick powders
- Fire starters
- Fungicides
- Herbicides
- Insecticides
- No-pest strips
- Pesticides
- Poisons
- Pool chemicals
- Propane tanks, empty or partially empty, up to 20 lbs
Automotive Products
- Antifreeze
- Batteries (autos, motorcycles, etc.)
- Brake fluid
- Carburetor cleaner
- Oil – used
- Radiator flush
- Solvents and degreasers
- Tire cleaners
- Transmission fluid
- Waste fuels (gasoline, kerosene, etc.)
Do Not Bring:
- Ammunition, Fireworks, Explosives
- Asbestos
- Commercial hazardous waste
- Construction waste/building materials
- CRT’s, CPU’s, computer monitors, television sets etc.
- Empty aerosol cans
- Fire extinguishers
- Gas cylinders (other than propane)
- Infectious or biological wastes – medical waste can be dropped off on scheduled collection days
- Latex Paint – dried out latex paint can be disposed of with your regular trash curbside
- Medicines or syringes – medical waste can be dropped off on scheduled collection days
- PCB’s
- Radioactive materials
- Smoke Detectors
- Tires
Transportation Tips
- Tighten caps and lids
- Leave materials in original containers
- Pad boxes with newspaper to minimize spills
- Never mix chemicals
- Drive directly to the Center
- Do not smoke
Who Can Participate
Residents from Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Lexington, Lincoln, Waltham and Watertown are the only communities allowed and must pre-registration online.
The household hazardous waste collections at the Minuteman Facility is for member towns only. Anyone who is not from a member town will be turned away. All non member residents should check with their local Public Works or Health Department on where to bring your harardous waste.
Watertown residents may bring hazardous household products to the Minuteman Facility. Proof of residency is required at the time of collection.
Watertown Board of Health
149 Main St.
Watertown, MA 02472
617-972-6446
Lexington is a bit of a drive for recycling, and there are too many rules.
I don’t think most people will do it.
There has to be a better way.
William is right about the drive and all the rules. You can’t even get a lot residents to keep trash and other unapproved items out of their recycling. I suspect that many will end up throwing this stuff in the trash or dumping it down the drain. It would be better if Watertown DPW could find a way to host their own event without all the crazy rules.
Why even bother? I have used motor oil in a little collection container but the original oil containers are long gone.
Why waste the 5 bucks in gas and wear a mask inside my car with the windows up just to be turned away after “signing in” so Watertown gets charged anyway?
I’ll just dump it behind the mall.
I participated in the May 14th collection. I made sure to pre-register online. The process is quick and efficient. Although the list of rules looks intimidating, they are pretty much common sense and they didn’t impact the things I needed to recycle. The total process from home to the recycle center and back only took about an hour. I think that was worth it to dispose of old paint and some automotive and garden chemicals I accumulated through the years.