NEDT Blog and Household Hazardous Products Resources

Smartphones are ubiquitous, but knowing how to dispose of them? Not so much. Today, we’re going to talk about modern cell phone disposal: why cell phones and other electronic waste (eWaste) are hazardous, what dangers they pose in improper disposal, and what your local options might be for disposing of that cell phone, including donation […]

Proper hazardous waste disposal is critical for protecting the environment and public health. In Massachusetts, residents have access to a variety of hazardous waste disposal resources and programs designed to help them safely dispose of dangerous materials like household chemicals, automotive fluids, electronics, and more. Here at NEDT, we’re committed to making hazardous waste disposal […]

In any community, the Board of Health (BOH) plays a critical role in maintaining public health and safety. In Massachusetts, the local BOH is responsible for overseeing a range of health-related regulations, from sanitation and food safety to disease prevention and waste management. One of the key areas where the BOH’s efforts align with environmental […]

Keeping your home clean and organized can feel overwhelming, especially when life gets busy. On top of managing daily chores, dealing with household hazardous waste like old paint cans, expired batteries, and leftover cleaning products can add to the stress. These items clutter your space and pose potential risks to your family and the environment […]

In today’s fast-paced, industrialized world, hazardous products are everywhere, from household cleaners and automotive fluids to industrial chemicals. Often essential for everyday tasks and business operations, they also pose significant environmental and health risks from hazardous products if not handled properly. This is where companies like New England Disposal Technologies (NEDT) step in, ensuring that […]

Are you done with a wood stain and looking to throw it away? Stop! That stain’s hazardous waste. Just like with paints, stains consist of three major parts—the pigment that colors the stain, the binder that causes the pigment to stick to painted surfaces, and the solvent that keeps everything a liquid until drying. Let’s […]

“Under Pressure” isn’t just the name of a hit song of the 80s; it’s also a warning label on many common (and not so common) pressurized products you can find at home. If it’s time to get rid of these products, it’s important to identify what product it is, do your homework, and dispose of […]

There are few heavy-duty cleaners for the home more potent than the aerosol containers that hold the caustic cleaning chemicals in over cleaners & soot removers. Designed to remove the most baked-on foods in ovens and grills and the buildup of creosote, tar, and other waste products in wooden stoves and fireplaces, these chemicals are […]

For the do-it-yourselfers of the automotive world, you can save a lot of money (and sometimes time) by replacing or topping off your automotive fluids yourself. From the ubiquitous windshield wiper fluid many people have to the more heavy-duty transmission and brake fluid, once you have these products, they can be hard to dispose of […]

The laws governing the use of fireworks vary in New England, from Massachusetts’ total ban to the partial ban of aerial fireworks in other states or no bans at all. Regardless of where you’re spending your Independence Day or other celebrations if you find yourself with excess fireworks (including misfires and duds) or other explosives, […]

Whether it’s the gradual degrading of performance—longer load times, heating issues, or studders—or a sudden, catastrophic failure, at some point, your computer is going to need to be replaced. But what do you do with the old computer? Today we’re looking at what components in computer electronics are hazardous and how this “eWaste” makes computer […]

Whether you’re moving down the street or across the country, a home move means finally dealing with those old products gathering dust and all the electronics you’ve left moldering in storage. So when you start filling boxes, you’re bound to find some hazardous waste, especially if you’ve been in your current home for a long […]

Depending on your taste in music, there are certainly some types of heavy metal that are safe to store at home, but this article is about the other kind. Usually taking the form of old electronics such as dust-covered home entertainment systems and bulky TVs or hobbyist materials and chemicals, these heavy metal hazards can […]

Happy Earth Day! At NEDT, this is one of the big holidays for us (even though we’re still open today) as we strive to clean up the environment not only for big businesses but for communities and individuals. In celebration of Earth Day 2024, we’d like to talk about a side of our commercial business […]

Household chemical solvents are the type of product that you might not know you have, but as soon as you open or use it, it becomes very clear. Found in an array of household products, from cleaners and polishes to paint thinners and cosmetics, these chemicals produce fumes that are health risks and can pose […]

If you’ve found your furnace leaking, spilling heating oil into your home, you’ll need to act fast for the safety and health of your family and the livability of your home. Below are the people to contact first in New England, what to expect, and how a hazardous waste expert like NEDT can help you […]

If you’re trying to dispose of an older appliance, such as a refrigerator or AC unit, you may have encountered issues related to a hazardous product they contain: CFCs. These chemicals, banned by the EPA, mean your appliances can’t be disposed of easily and require the use of special equipment and certification to be properly […]

While decluttering your home can be a great feeling, hazardous waste can make it difficult. Since they can’t be thrown away or poured down the sink, these household products can gather in basements, attics, and garages for years. If you’ve amassed such a collection, it’s time to deal with it. In this article, we’ll go […]

While chlorine itself is a toxic gas, it can be found in a myriad of solid and liquid household products. Today, we’re going to look at two major categories of hazardous household products that can’t be disposed of at home: pool cleaners and cleaning products. In this article, learn more about how chlorine is used […]

Whether it’s downsizing, managing the estate of a loved one, a sudden eviction, or simply a very thorough (and delayed) spring cleaning, dealing with the waste generated by a house cleanout is a major headache. What to save, what to sell or give away, and what needs to be disposed of is a significant hurdle […]

While we all like coffee, what America really runs on is cars—from the personal vehicle that you use daily for work, chores, and fun to the commercial and industrial vehicles that keep everything moving and stocked. It also means we produce a lot of automotive waste, from the antifreeze you top off before the Nor’easter […]

Today, we’re highlighting one of our locations, the Sutton NEDT Household Hazardous Productions Collection Center! The biggest of our facilities, this location is a mix of customer services such as the collection center, our headquarters, and the commercial side of our business that supports businesses and municipalities all across New England for disposing of hazardous […]

How does hazardous waste pile up at home? Sometimes, it’s as simple as not reading a label. Certain products can be dangerous to your family and difficult to dispose of, whether you’ve inherited it, bought it, or don’t know where it came from. The first step to dealing with them is reading the warning labels […]

Keeping your landscape nice and healthy is hard work, and some of that work includes the use of heavy-duty chemicals to keep your lawn and garden pest-free. Pesticides and insecticides pose unique risks because they are designed to kill. And while these chemicals are targeted to insects and other pests, these same toxic compositions can […]

When we think of new portable technology, it’s almost always powered by a lithium battery pack. But these high-tech and high-capacity batteries come with some potential hazards, especially at home. You may have seen pictures of swelling phone cases or read in the news about fires started by lithium batteries, but do you know what […]

When you think of household hazardous waste, it’s unsurprising if mercury comes to mind. While this liquid metal might be easily identifiable when in a (hopefully sealed) bottle, it’s less easy to spot when incorporated into electronics and other devices. In this blog post, we’re going to go over identifying and dealing with mercury at […]

Whether it’s the slow buildup of household hazardous products and waste or an emergency, you might suddenly need expertise and equipment at your home’s door to tackle that problem. Our NEDT truck fleet is ready and willing to help provide residential hazardous waste services across Massachusetts. In this blog, we’ll go over various types of […]

At NEDT, we take pride in providing information so you can make better-informed decisions when it comes to buying, storing, handling, and disposing of household hazardous products. These come in the form of our Fact Sheets: handy PDFs that provide all the information you’ll need. Below, we’ll better explain how to use this hazardous waste […]

Finally getting around to clearing out the box in the garage or crawlspace in the attic only to find dusty old bottles of dangerous chemicals? At NEDT, we’ve seen our fair share of old household chemicals passed down the generations or from old (very old) hobbies. Today, we’d like to show you some of the […]

No one wants to think about a fire in their home but the best way to keep one from happening is to make your home safe and be prepared. Managing the products you have stored away, from cleaning chemicals to old paint, can make a huge difference—not only in preventing fires but avoiding issues with […]

Whether you’re a car aficionado or simply like to save money by being handy with your car, you can suddenly find yourself with a lot of automotive waste and unsure of what can be thrown away. Today we’re going to look at the close companion to car motor oil: the oil filter. Learn more about […]

At NEDT, our roots are set in making it easy to dispose of hazardous waste. We started by helping businesses navigate Massachusetts requirements for hazardous waste and remediation, but quickly realized that residents too needed a better way to deal with hazardous household products, which is where our collection centers come in. How quick and […]

Gardening is a great hobby, bringing color to your home, outdoor living spaces, and even fruits and vegetables to the table! But like with all hobbies, you’ll accumulate your fair share of gardening products for everything from preparing the soil to managing the weeds. After a few years, you can build up quite a collection […]

At NEDT, we accept many kinds of household hazardous products, but not hazardous construction materials. When it comes to hazardous waste such as asbestos or lead-painted wood, the risk they pose during removal, transit, and delivery puts both the homeowner and staff at risk. Today we’re going to talk about what to do when you […]

Whether a computer monitor is past its prime or a newer flatscreen TV is being replaced in a media center overhaul, unneeded TVs and other electronics can start to pile up. Unlike other household products which can be easily recycled or thrown away, these electronics require specialized tv disposal. But what makes them hazardous household […]

Accidents happen; it’s what you do during and after them that matters the most. It’s what you do to keep yourself, your family, and your home safe. Today we’re going to look at what happens during a household chemical spill emergency, what you should do if it occurs, how to clean up afterwards, and how […]

Every household has a few products that are considered hazardous waste—that can’t be thrown in the trash or down the drain due to the threat they pose to people and the environment. And so, many of these products sit on shelves and in cupboards, gathering dust. Over time, the products can cause deteriorating hazardous containers, […]

Workplace safety is important everywhere, but when there’s hazardous waste in the mix, it becomes critical. We’re proud to announce that as of today—April 22nd, 2023—we’ve reached a milestone of 1,000 days without a lost time incident! That’s almost three years without an injury to one of our workers on the job, and a testament […]

Happy Earth Day! At NEDT, this is one of the big holidays for us (even though we’re still open today) as we strive to clean up the environment not only for big businesses but for communities and individuals. In celebration of Earth Day 2023, we’d like to highlight the outreach we’ve been doing across Massachusetts […]

Just like their smaller household cousins, larger automotive batteries also lose charge, wear out, and break. And just like those small batteries, car batteries have the same problems—just on a larger scale. There is hazardous waste in car batteries that make them unsafe to throw away in the trash but can also corrode over time […]

Sometimes, all-purpose surface cleaners and Windex don’t cut it; you have to call in the big guns of cleaning. Many of these “heavy duty” cleaners come with a host of warnings, including required equipment for use, as well as warnings about skin exposure, eye exposure, properly ventilated areas—the list goes on. A large group of […]

At NEDT, we’re proud to accept most kinds of residential hazardous waste at our collection centers. But that doesn’t mean we accept them all. Certain types of unsafe hazardous waste shouldn’t be transported to us and we can’t accept them. For some of these, we can point you to other facilities and programs that can […]

In these trying times we need to stick together—but the same can’t always be said for the adhesive products we use. Glues, epoxies, and other adhesives have a limited shelf life and may need to be cleaned out to make room for new, better-working products. But not all of them can easily go in the […]

Paint is essentially three things: a pigment, which gives the paint color; a liquid base (sometimes called a binder) that holds the paint together, and a solvent that creates the paint’s emulsion. The type of liquid is the biggest difference between types of paint, how they need to be stored, and your paint disposal options […]

This is your year. Sometimes it’s not about the big changes, but the small changes that are important. None so much as your home, making sure it’s both safe from hazardous waste and has all the space it can by getting rid of old products you can’t dispose of easily. Today we’re going to talk […]

Everyone likes arts and crafts, from Elmer’s glue and popsicle sticks to peak-preforming hobbyist paints and glazes. But many of these products, especially old ones, can contain hazardous chemicals that need to be handled during use, storage, and disposal. Today, let’s look at using, storing, and disposing of arts and crafts materials and how reading […]

We hope you’re looking forward to the holidays…and planning for the aftermath of all that gift-giving: not only all that wrapping paper but all the incidentals those new gifts cause. Suddenly redundant electronics, just-discovered dead batteries, and a general tightening of storage as new gifts take up space. Some of these things can’t be thrown […]

At NEDT, we have a saying: “Buy only what you need; use up what you have; and recycle any leftovers.” While our Collection Centers stand by to help you dispose of household hazardous products, we believe that the best options for reducing household hazardous waste at home are always preventing products from being thrown away […]

Alongside accepting other household hazardous products, we also accept latex paint at our collection centers. While not the hazard of oil-based paints, latex paint still cannot typically be thrown in the trash or dumped down the drain. While the best option is to reuse this paint (or give it away), are there situations where that […]

With winter and the holiday season just around the corner, now more than ever, it’s important to make sure your home is a safe space. As more people – including children – enter your home, suddenly all those garages, basements, attics, and spare rooms filled with odds and ends can become a danger. While spring […]

We use batteries on a daily basis at home. In portable electronics like your phone, in the vehicle in your garage, in the smoke detector, your watch – the list goes on. However, we don’t think too much about these electronic marvels until they stop working, then it’s either time to recharge them or replace […]

Hazardous waste is difficult to dispose of by design. These products, often dangerous to people and the environment, are regulated to keep us safe. Part of that regulation means most of these products, from big business hazardous waste to hazardous household products, cannot be thrown in the trash or down the drain, instead having to […]

As one of the most common household hazardous products inside homes in America and definitely the top item brought into our collections centers in Massachusetts, paint represents a problem for homes. Leftover paint from projects and painting the house gather dust, chemically break down, freeze, and pose fire hazards. Today, let’s talk about dealing with […]

Remodeling, interior design, or spare paint cans from when you last painted the house (or maybe the time before that): we’ve all got extra paint at home. Much of modern paint is latex paint – and while it has upsides versus traditional oil-based paint – it still isn’t easy to dispose of. If you’re looking […]

If you’ve got great furniture at home, you want it to last and keep looking as great as the day you bought it. Whether you’ve got handed-down heirloom furniture or like to make, restore, or finish your own, you can accumulate many furniture products that can contain hazardous chemicals that prohibit at-home disposal. Today we […]

When it comes to hazardous waste, a homeowner and a business owner have very different needs, types of hazardous products, and very different rules and regulations they need to follow. These distinctions are important to know whether you’re disposing of residential hazardous waste, commercial hazardous waste, or find yourself in an edge case like an […]

We’ve all got a few cans of paint at home – but many homeowners, especially the DIY types, might have a few containers of paint thinner or other paint-related solvents. And just like with paint, they may have outlived their welcome in your garage, basement, or attic. Today, learn what your options for old paint […]

When you’ve got hazardous waste in your home, it can be both scary and confusing. You want this potentially harmful product or chemical either stored safely if you’re using it or disposed of, but disposal itself is difficult, as often these products cannot be thrown in the trash or poured down the drain. Thankfully, there […]

Fluorescent lamps, sometimes called fluorescent bulbs, fluorescent tubes, or compact fluorescent lamps (CFL), depending on the specific style, all share some basic features that make them hazardous when handling and disposing of them – namely their fragile nature and the chemical composition of the gases within that are held at a near-vacuum. Today, let’s go […]

From that just-used gas-powered mower to that camping stove gathering dust in the attic, you might be surprised how much household fuels you have in your home – not even including those for your car. But once these products expire (and they do) or you no longer need them, how do you dispose of these […]

Old products, obsolete electronics, and empty containers you can’t throw in the trash have a tendency to pile up in any household, especially when attics, basements, and garages make for plenty of “out of sight, out of mind” storage. However, with the hazards posed by these dangerous products, it’s important to know when to store […]

At New England Disposal Technologies, we’re proud to work with individuals, businesses big and small, and local and state-wide governments to deal with hazardous waste. For us, every day really is Earth Day as we work to reduce our environmental impact and promote better understanding to companies and households alike about the hazardous waste they […]

While the average consumer has moved onto digital photography, hobbyists of all ages still enjoy taking pictures with film cameras and developing photography at home. But like with many hobbies, you can build up a large stock of hobby products that can be hard to dispose of once they are used, expired, or if you’re […]

While the dangers of some household hazardous waste are easy to recognize – caustic chemicals, clogging adhesives, and pressurized gases – others are less apparent. When it comes to eWaste, which are electronics that are in need of disposal, it’s hard to tell at first glance why they shouldn’t go in the trash. This blog […]

Products that come in aerosol spray cans are convenient, but most of us will think twice before throwing them in the trash. Why is that? Both the pressure and mixture inside aerosol cans (both the products and the propellants) can be hazardous, and special precautions need to be taken to render them safe for at-home […]

Our goal with our Collection Centers is to make the disposal of household hazardous waste easy – but we understand that not everyone can make it to our locations. In the spirit of our motto that hazardous waste disposal shouldn’t be difficult, we also provide a pick up service where we can come to your […]

While everyone loves the feeling of a carpeted room, cleaning them can be a headache. If you’ve taken it on yourself to clean your carpet and rugs, you may be left with toxic carpet cleaner and other rug conditioning products that need disposal. Today we’re going to look at the harmful chemicals that might make […]

New England cars run on antifreeze, but like all automotive products, it needs to be changed out occasionally. Once you’ve swapped out old coolant for new, what do you do with the waste product? While antifreeze and coolant aren’t regulated hazardous waste like motor oil, it’s still important to know what can make it a […]

We all accumulate household hazardous waste, but what do we do when it isn’t ours? When tenants move out of an apartment and leave stuff behind or homeowners don’t clean out their storage when they sell, landlords and real estate agents may be left holding the bag. If you find yourself in that position, remember […]

From getting rid of a bulk appliance to larger projects like renovations, moving, and estate sales, we all generate junk that we can’t (or don’t want to) dispose of ourselves. Junk removal companies fulfill this vital service, helping get household waste to the proper facilities. But what happens when the junk they remove is hazardous? […]

There are many great things about having a swimming pool (or a hot tub – or both), but maintenance isn’t one of them. Beyond checking filters, dealing with pool covers, and yanking out leaves, the careful balance of chemistry in your pool to keep it perfect for you and your family while inhospitable to microorganisms […]

At NEDT, our collection centers were created to make disposing of hazardous household waste and products easier – and is an ethos that extends to our pricing. We keep our pricing for disposal of hazardous waste simple, allowing you to know even before you come in how much you should expect to pay, as well […]

It will come as no surprise that many of the common herbicides and pesticides used in gardening are toxic – after all, their main purpose is to kill and control common garden weeds and pests. However, this also means that special safety measures must be taken both during the use of these agents and while […]

When we talk about home disposal methods for household products, it usually comes down to throwing them away in the trash or dumping it down the drain. However, the latter has many more restrictions, especially when it comes to anything that might make it into a storm drain. Learn more about why household products should […]

After a long snowy winter or a dry hot summer, your lawn and garden might need some serious TLC to get back to 100%. For beautiful green lawns and bountiful gardens, fertilizers are what we commonly reach for at home. And while these products are perfectly safe to use, they need to be treated like […]

At NEDT, we’ve been helping households get rid of their residential hazardous waste for years. If you’ve ever been curious or even hesitant about what a typical trip to one of our Household Hazardous Products Collection Centers is like, this blog and its video are for you! Watch and read on to learn about what […]

If you’ve ever had problems with your driveway, chances are you’ve bought a container of driveway sealant if you’re not interested in paying for a professional rebuild. One look at the warning label – especially on older products – will show this stuff can be pretty toxic, containing Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). If the sealant […]

Regardless of the reasons behind your estate sale, the process is already emotionally draining before you have to deal with hazardous waste you can’t throw away or take to the dump. Whether the result of downsizing or the death of a loved one, we all have accumulated so much in our lifetime, and sadly not […]

Of all the hazardous household products, cleaning products are some of the most toxic to homeowners and their families (including pets). This makes sense: after all, what is hard on grease, grime, limescale, and other difficult-to-remove stains isn’t going to be kind to skin. One of these products – known as muriatic acid – is […]

Whether you’re finally modernizing or just have a few clunky Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors and televisions taking up room and gathering dust, it’s important to understand the hazards they pose, especially if damaged. So, before you decide to move one around – and if you’re thinking about disposing of it yourself – it’s important […]

Owning a fire extinguisher is a mark of a safe and well-planned household, but it doesn’t stop there. Beyond reading the instructions and properly placing the extinguisher (or more likely multiple fire extinguishers if you’re following best practices), is the knowledge that your extinguisher has a shelf life and will need to be replaced. It’s […]

From entrepreneurs with a side hustle to enthusiastic hobbyists, a surprisingly high number of home businesses generate not just waste but hazardous waste. With regulations passed by the Environmental Protection Agency and enforced on a state level with various laws, as a business, you need to treat your home business’s hazardous waste differently than as […]

Everyone loves a clean home, but have you ever wondered what’s in those cleaning products? When people view what we accept, many are surprised to find that common cleaning products, especially heavy-duty cleaners, should not be disposed of at home and need to be brought in. Learn more about why certain cleaning products are hazardous, […]

Whether you’re a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to automotive work on your car or just have a few spare bottles of car products for emergencies, chances are you’ve got a container of motor oil, antifreeze, coolant, or other products at home in the garage, maybe even including used oil and oil filters. Much of this […]

Here at NEDT, we talk a lot about the kind of materials we accept. But, there are some things we have to turn away at the door and point you to other agencies. From the dangerous to the mundane, below are several categories of the most common types of materials and products that we and […]

Today we’re highlighting one of our locations, our Westfield NEDT Household Hazardous Productions Collection Center! This is the most eye-catching of our locations from the iconic “batwing” to the gas station-style signage – because it was a gas station! To see the collection center at work, including how we handle and dispose of your household […]

Whether it’s a can for the mower or a backup container for your car, at some point or another, we’ve all had one of those iconic red containers with some spare gas. However, that useful substance is also a hazardous product, and without properly storing gasoline at home – as well as handling and disposal […]

Our world runs on batteries, from the ones in our cars to those in our smartphones. Most people only think of them when they run out, but we should all think about how to handle and dispose of them to keep ourselves and our homes safe. Today, we’re going to look at household battery disposal, […]

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) requires all businesses that generate hazardous waste to properly manage, store, and dispose of them. The issue comes with scale: while large businesses can have the budget to use the required hazardous transportation and disposal companies, small companies that only produce a handful via cleaning solvents, oils, inks, […]

When you encounter a product you can’t pour down the drain or throw in the garbage to dispose of it, chances are you’ve got a hazardous household product. Depending on where you live, you’ve got different options. Below are the most common ways homeowners dispose of hazardous products they accumulate, including helpful links for Massachusetts […]

Thankfully, there are very few hazardous substances with which residential consumers come into contact in the United States. A combination of regulation, safety measures, and standards of technology keep most safe. However, when certain household products are mishandled or disposed of improperly, they can lead to risks. Household lighting and electronics can contain mercury and […]

Whether they are sitting out in the garage, stuffed in the spare room, or hiding under the sink, we’ve all got both products and waste that we know is dangerous and not easily disposed of. For many of our visitors to the NEDT collection centers, all they needed to hit the goal of fewer hazardous […]

By far, the most commonly brought in product to our Household Hazardous Product Collection Centers is paint. Almost every household has cans of paint and stains from previous household projects and gifts from the house painter. Much of it is completely useable and safe if stored and handled properly. Today we’re going to look at […]

While many household products and waste can easily be stored, recycled, drained, or thrown away, there are certain materials and items due to their impact on the environment, human health, and often both that have to be handled differently. It’s important to be able to identify and deal with hazardous waste at home to keep […]

Welcome to the new NEDT.org blog! We’re excited to provide more resources and education for people wanting to learn about how they can manage and dispose of hazardous household waste in easy but environmentally conscious ways. In this first post, we’ll be looking at how this blog can be used as a resource, as well […]