Most of these items may be brought to the town’s inter-municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection events, co-hosted with other municipalities in the Capital Region. For upcoming collection events, please check the recycling events page. There are also options for recycling or disposing of certain items in between HHW collection events.
Paint: Consumers and small businesses now have access to FREE and convenient post-consumer paint drop-off sites for the collection, reuse and recycling of paint products including most latex and oil paints and stains. For more details please visit: https://townofbethlehem.org/927/Paint-Drop-Off-Year-round.
Rechargeable batteries and lead acid (vehicle) batteries can be recycled at all retail stores where they are sold. Lowe's in Glenmont has an easy self-service kiosk between their double set of entrance doors near their customer service counter.
Fluorescent Bulbs and CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Bulbs) can be recycled at the same kiosk mentioned above at Lowes in Glenmont as well as other retailers.
Computers, televisions, and most other electronics are NOT accepted at our HHW events any longer. They can be recycled year round at the Transfer Station on Rupert Road (fees may apply--see web page for details). Staples in Glenmont also accepts most consumer electronics (though not televisions) for free recycling. Always call ahead to confirm what items you plan to recycle.
Used motor oil can be brought to most shops that perform oil changes such as Valvoline or Jiffy Lube. Please NOTE: We no longer accept motor oil at our HHW collection events due to this easy and free alternative means of disposal. See the DEC website for more information: https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/8786.html.
Latex (water-based) paint is non-hazardous, and can also be dried out and disposed in the regular trash. There are low cost "paint hardener" products for waste paint available for purchase for $2 - $3 that work for 2 - 3 gallons of paint. Or mix with cat litter or sand to help soak up the liquid, remove the lid, and set it in the sun. Once completely solidified, latex paint can be disposed in the regular trash (leave the lid off to show there is no liquid paint.) Latex paint, while non-toxic, is illegal to put in the regular trash in liquid form> because it will gum up machinery and spill down the road.
That leaves items like lawn chemicals, gasoline, and certain cleaners and solvents. We recommend using or storing these items until the next event, seeing if any neighbors, co-workers or friends wish to use them, and consider less toxic alternatives the next time if possible. There now exists less toxic products for most applications, and information is available on the Internet about alternatives to pesticides and chemical fertilizers.