Dispose of household hazardous waste
Buncombe County holds household hazardous waste collection days throughout the year at the landfill located at 85 Panther Branch Road.
For detailed information about disposal guidelines, fees and a calendar of household hazardous waste collection days, please visit Buncombe County’s Solid Waste website or call (828) 250-5462. Read about the most common hazardous waste topics here.
This program brings a much needed solution to the growing problem of safe disposal of these energy efficient bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, a poison that can devastate any environment where it accumulates. The lifespan of a CFL can be up to 10 times longer than a regular bulb, but they will go out. When they do, citizens are asked NOT to put them into the garbage. They should be properly recycled to prevent mercury inside the bulb from leaking into the groundwater.
Please note: If any of your bulbs are broken please sweep up the contents. Do not use a vacuum cleaner. It will spread vapors and contaminate the vacuum. Place the contents in a zip-lock bag, wipe area with a wet paper towel or cloth and bring it to a disposal center. Please make sure the broken bulb and towel are sealed in the plastic bag when dropped off. Ventilate the room where the lamp was broken. The mercury is released when the unit is broken. It is released as a vapor and there will be very little left in the powder. One hundred percent of these lamps are recycled.
For more information about the proper ways to dispose of light bulbs, contact Buncombe County 828-250-5460.
The fluorescent light bulb drop-off program with local fire stations has ended.
Home Depot and Lowe’s Home Improvement also collect expired, unbroken, compact, fluorescent bulbs at the returns counter at any store. See local stores at:
Before beginning a project requiring the use of paint, consider the following:
Make sure paint cans are empty or dried out, or they will not be collected with household trash. Dry water-based paint by mixing it with kitty litter or sand. Dry oil-based paint by mixing it with cement. Place cans in a plastic bag with the lids off and place with regular trash. Empty or dried out paint cans can be disposed at the Buncombe County Landfill.
For detailed information about disposal guidelines for paint, visit Buncombe County’s Solid Waste website or contact Buncombe County at 828-250-5462.
Car batteries will not be collected with household trash. Many stores accept old car batteries when you purchase a new one, and some may offer discounts.
For detailed information about disposal guidelines for car batteries, visit Buncombe County’s Solid Waste website or contact Buncombe County at 828-250-5462.
Buy rechargeable household batteries. For recycling locations for household batteries in Asheville, visit Hard to Recycle Events in the area. Also, many electronic stores will also accept batteries for recycling. Check with your local retailers for details.
We all live downstream. It is both ILLEGAL and DANGEROUS to dump used oil into sewers, septic tanks, drainage systems or any body of water. Storm sewers discharge directly into streams, so NEVER dump oil in them.
The City of Asheville does not collect used motor oil with regular household trash. If you change your own oil, you must take the used oil to an approved collection site. Most garages and auto parts stores accept used oil for recycling.
For detailed information about disposal guidelines for used motor oil, visit Buncombe County’s Solid Waste website or contact Buncombe County at 828-250-5462.
Many people use needles, lancets and other “sharps” as part of their daily home medical treatment. After use, these items should never be placed into the trash or your recycling bin. Trash collectors, workers at disposal facilities and employees at recycling centers can be injured on improperly disposed sharps. To minimize risks to these workers and to offer residents with special needs safe disposal alternatives, Buncombe County provides FREE sharps disposal for residents. At home, please place used needles in a sturdy plastic container with a screw-on cap, such as an empty laundry detergent jug.
When your sharps container is full, take it to the Buncombe County Transfer Station located at 190 Hominy Creek Road.
