What are Home Toxics?

Home toxics are household products that can catch fire, react, corrode, or explode under certain circumstances. This includes paint products, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides. When disposing of home toxics, special care is required to reduce risk for your family, environment, and community.

Home toxics pose a significant threat to our workers if recycled. Recycling is hand sorted, and baled products are crushed under high pressure, resulting in fires and explosions from home toxic products being recycled. Recycling workers are injured at a rate 4 to 5 times higher than the average for all industries. By keeping lights, paints, oils, pesticides, cleaners, and batteries out of our bins, you are saving lives.

It is important to dispose of home toxics correctly: not in a landfill or in recycling bins. Instead, these items should be brought to one of the Washtenaw County Home Toxic Center’s drop off locations.

On weekdays, make an appointment at the HHW Center in Salem Township (10843 W. Five Mile Road, Northville, MI 48168 | 734-222-3950).

On Saturdays, make an appointment at the Home Toxics Center in Scio Township (705 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 | 734-222-3950).