Recycle these Items in Your Cart

• Paper:  brown paper bags, corrugated carboard, egg cartons, newspapers, magazines, mixed mail, file folders, paperboard boxes and tubes (cereal, shoe, paper towel tube, etc).
• Aluminum cans, foil, foil bakeware and trays
• Metal cans and containers (tin and steel) - rinse clean, labels okay
• Cartons (dairy, juice, beverage and soup, broth boxes)
• Glass bottles and jars including - rinse clean and remove lids/caps
• Plastic bottles, jars and tubs marked #1, 2, 5 only including lids/caps

DO NOT RECYCLE:

• Shredded paper*
• Plastic bags
• Paper with food residue on it (place in TRASH cart)
• Laminated or coated paper (place in TRASH cart)
• Paper towels or napkins
• Coffee filters
• Toilet paper or facial tissues
• Wrapping paper and tissue paper
• Sugar and flour bags
• Paper with wax, plastic, or paint coating
• Pizza boxes 
• Aerosol cans*
• Clothes hangers*
• Scrap metal (metal pans, bakeware)
• Ceramic or porcelain items 
• Household glass (light bulbs, dishes, mirrors)*
• Holiday lights*
• Large toys
• Plastic signs
• Styrofoam

*Many of these are accepted at the Washington County Environment Center.  Contact them for more information.

Electronics include televisions, computers, computer monitors, computer peripherals (mouse, keyboards, cables, printers, scanners. speakers. etc.), cell phones, hand-held devices. photocopiers. fax machines, stereos, VCRs, and DVD recorders and players.

Do not throw electronics away in your trash or recycling cart!  Give them away if they are in working condition or recycle them if they are broken. It's the law!

Limit of 4 consumer electronic items per residence per year is provided at no additional charge to be picked up curbside.  Additional electronic items are $15 per item.  You must contact Waste Management to arrange for pickup.   

Many electronic items are collected free of charge for Washington County residents at the Environmental Center.

Electronics that still work may have value to another person, family or group. You can sell usable electronics through a number of on-line sites. If it still works, it is valuable for more than it's recyclable parts.

Latex Paint - cans can be placed in trash with dried paint or empty

Oil-based paint should be brought to the Environmental Center

Car Batteries can be taken to local retailer for disposal.

Construction Debris - call Waste Management or check the Disposal Guide for business that will take this debris.

Tires - make a simple call to (651) 645-9149 to Metropolitan Mosquito Control Center for free curbside tire removal.  Or take to local retailer for disposal, s small fee is collected for recycling.

Asbestos - The first and most important thing to know about handling and disposing of asbestos is that you should not do it yourself. Asbestos is a deadly carcinogen that should only be handled by licensed asbestos abatement professionals.  While you can find information online about do-it-yourself asbestos abatement, it is highly recommended that you do not attempt to disturb asbestos-containing materials in any way.  If you don’t hire a professional, you are likely to break one of the many laws that regulate asbestos, and you run the risk of facing a serious fine or penalty.

Many of the products we use for cleaning and maintenance of our homes and yards contain potentially harmful or hazardous ingredients. They are called Household Hazardous Waste (HHW). These products require special handling to avoid harming you, your family, or the environment.

Please read the labels on all your household products to learn about their ingredients. The words CAUTION, WARNING, DANGER and POISON may appear on them. These key words appear on labels to alert you that the products may contain hazardous materials and can help you know where to dispose of them when you are finished using them. Proper handling of these products is important for your safety and that of others.

• Don't throw them in the garbage
• Don't pour them in the sewer
• Don't pour them on the ground

There is Household Hazardous Waste disposal available year-round at the Washington County Environmental Center. Disposal is free of charge to residents. There is even a room full of items to choose from for free in the Reuse Room, including paint, cleaners and other useful materials.  

How to Handle and Dispose of Asbestos

The first and most important thing to know about handling and disposing of asbestos is that you should not do it yourself. Asbestos is a deadly carcinogen that should only be handled by licensed asbestos abatement professionals.

While you can find information online about do-it-yourself asbestos abatement, it is highly recommended that you do not attempt to disturb asbestos-containing materials in any way.

If you find friable asbestos products in your home, you may carefully wet them to prevent them from releasing fibers until you can get a licensed professional to assess your home.

These professionals are highly trained and certified to follow all federal and state laws governing asbestos abatement and disposal. If you don’t hire a professional, you are likely to break one of the many laws that regulate asbestos, and you run the risk of facing a serious fine or penalty.

Old and unused medicines in your home can pose a risk for accidental poisoning, theft, and drug abuse. Medications disposed of in a sink, toilet, or landfill can eventually pollute surface and groundwater, and harm fish and wildlife. Instead of flushing or throwing them in the trash, drop the medication off for safe and free disposal.

Washington County residents can dispose of their unused and expired medications at a year-round collection drop box.  The Unused Medication Drop Box is located at the Washington County Service Center in Woodbury, 2150 Radio Drive. The drop box will be available 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

All drugs collected are secured at the the Washington County Sheriff's Office and then taken to a waste-to-energy facility that is licensed to burn this type of waste. The drug drop boxes are a joint project of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment.

Medications accepted include prescription, over-the-counter and pet medication. 

Not accepted items: Needles, syringes, lancets, vaping devices/liquids, and thermometers. Bring these items to the Washington County Environmental Center.

For more information on how to prepare medications for drop-off, visit the Environmental Center's medication disposal page. 

An organics drop-off program is available to residents at the Washington County Environmental Center or the City of Mahtomedi. When you participate in the organics drop-off program, your food scraps and non-recyclable paper products will be recycled into compost at a commercial compost facility. Compost is a valuable resource that improves soil, reduces erosion, and decreases the need for fertilizers. 

Get started in 3 easy steps!

1. Sign up online and pickup a free starter kit.
2. Start collecting food scraps at home
3. Bring bagged food scraps to a drop-off site

Check out this flyer on what is accepted and what is not accepted.

City of Mahtomedi
In partnership with the City of Mahtomedi, Washington County has opened a new food scraps drop-off site for use by all county residents. The self-serve drop-off site is located behind the Mahtomedi Fire Department building at 800 Stillwater Road and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.