We are working with the Missoula Public Health to offer year-round household chemical collection, reuse, and disposal options for Missoula. Formally available once per year as HazWaste days, this appointment, fee based program will give our community disposal options for unneeded household chemicals, typically known as household hazardous waste, and keep them out of our groundwater and landfill.
Year-round household chemical drop-off registration
Please carefully read through the form before scheduling your drop-off. Waste from businesses or schools is not allowed. Total quantity must be less than 10 gallons. Before scheduling, review the guide to accepted material to ensure your material is accepted by the Household Chemical Disposal Facility, and if it isn’t, check out our Waste Wizard tool to find out what the next best option for your items is. Before bringing your material to the Household Chemical Collection facility please review this guide for proper preparation and transportation. Registration fee is $20 and is non-refundable.
After reviewing the material acceptance guide, are you still unsure of if what you have will be accepted and want to find out if you can bring it before registering for an appointment? If so, fill out this form prior to registration and we’ll get back to you with more information.
Appointments are currently available on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm.
What is Household Hazardous Waste?
EPA considers some leftover household products that can catch fire, react, or explode under certain circumstances, or that are corrosive or toxic as household hazardous waste. Products, such as certain paints, oils, batteries, and pesticides can contain hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them. While most hazardous wastes that are ignitable, reactive, corrosive or toxic are regulated under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), Congress developed an exclusion for household waste. Under this exclusion, found in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 261.4, wastes generated by normal household activities (e.g., routine house and yard maintenance) are excluded from the definition of hazardous waste. Although household hazardous waste is excluded from Subtitle C of RCRA, it is regulated under Subtitle D of this law as a solid waste. In other words, household hazardous waste is regulated on the state and local level.
Common household waste includes:
- Flammable or combustible paints & solvents (oil-based wood stains, mineral spirits, etc.)
- Automotive Fluids (gas, diesel fluid, oil)
- Pesticides and Herbicides
- Products with mercury (thermometers, thermostats & fluorescent lights)
- Rechargeable batteries
- Acids – muriatic acid for pools and fish tanks
- Caustics – sodium hydroxide for soap-making or drain cleaning
Many household wastes can be disposed of throughout the year at various locations. Check out the Waste Wizard tool for more info.
Reduce first
You can reduce household hazardous waste by buying the smallest amount needed for the job and using alternatives that are less hazardous whenever possible!
Year-round Disposal Facility
In the past, Missoula agencies have hosted a yearly collection event to collect household hazardous waste from Missoula County residents and the surrounding areas. Our community is growing and public participation in the annual events has increased in recent years. While there are some limited options for year-round disposal of these wastes, one event each year was not adequately meeting the needs of the public. Therefore, we are saying goodbye to our annual HazWaste Days Event and hello to a new facility – the Missoula Household Chemical Disposal Facility at Home ReSource – that will provide you with more options to drop off your household hazardous waste year-round. The facility is located at Home ReSource 1515 Wyoming St., Missoula, MT 59801. See the link above to schedule your drop-off.
We can’t take it all!
Given the lack of space, fact that existing opportunities for disposal for some of these already exist, high cost of disposal, staff safety, and funding uncertainties, we need to limit the quantities and types of waste we will take at the facility. It will be a holding place until we can get a hauler to take the waste, a cost that is expected to be $60K-70K/year. We are looking for other business and agency support to provide this service to Missoula County residents.