Solid Waste and Recycling Info

Household Hazardous Waste Day Reminder                                               

Contact: Jared Sheehan, Engineering Technician, 610-7497

PORTSMOUTH – The City will hold its bi-annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, May 4th, for the residents of Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington.

Household chemicals may be brought to the Department of Public Works facility at 680 Peverly Hill Road for safe disposal between 8 a.m. and noon. Residents must show proof of residency.

For more information about HHW Collection Day, please visit www.cityofportsmouth.com/publicworks and click on the "Solid Waste and Recycling Info" page for the link to "Household Hazardous Waste".

The following items are some of the household chemicals that will be accepted on Saturday, May 4th:

• From the yard: fertilizer with pesticides or fungicides, insect spray, lighter fluid, pest strips/traps, pesticides, poisons and pool chemicals
• From the garage: acids, car waxes/polish, creosote, driveway sealer/tar, flea powder, gasoline, radiator fluid and roofing tar
• From the house: bathroom cleaner, disinfectants, furniture polish, metal polish, mothballs, oven cleaner, photo chemicals, rug cleaner and wood strippers
• From the workbench: brush cleaner, corrosives, lead and oil-based paint/stain/finish, rust preventative, solvents, thinner/turpentine and wood preservatives

  
Empty containers for these items are not considered hazardous and may be disposed of in the regular trash collection. Residents should NOT bring explosives, asbestos or latex paints. Portsmouth residents may bring completely dry latex paint cans to the Recycling Center or include them during normally scheduled curbside pickups.   

Anyone with items they suspect are hazardous but are not on the HHW list should call (603) 427-1530 to discuss alternatives. Non-hazardous materials may be brought to the Recycling Center during normal business hours between 7:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays. For information about the City's other sustainability initiatives, visit the following link: www.cityofportsmouth.com/sustainability.

In addition to residents bringing unwanted household chemicals, they now can bring unwanted medications and out of date perscriptions.  Bring the household hazardous waste products and unwanted medications and out of date prescriptions to the Department of Public Works facility at 680 Peverly Hill Road for safe disposal between 8 a.m. and noon. Residents must show proof of residency. The Portsmouth Police Department will be taking prescription drugs away again this year.

Bring your unwanted household chemicals to Portsmouth's Dept of Public Works for safe disposal including:

            

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE  AND YOUR DRINKING WATER

             What Is Household Hazardous Waste?
Hazardous wastes typically found in homes include:  · Gasoline  ·  Antifreeze  ·  Photographic Chemicals
      ·  Oil-Based Paints  ·  Drain Cleaners  ·  Pesticides  ·  Furniture Strippers  ·  Oven Cleaners 
  ·  Disinfectants   ·  Kerosene  ·  Spot Removers  ·  Used Motor Oil  ·  Auto Batteries 

Why Should I be Concerned?
When improperly stored and disposed these products can injure you, your family, or your pets; harm the environment; and possibly contaminate drinking water supplies.

Are Some Places At Greater Risk Than Others?
The Portsmouth area is of particular concern because it has been identified as an area from which groundwater flows to a public drinking water supply.  If you have a well on your property, you also need to think about protecting the groundwater that supplies your well.

What Should I Do? 
Residents of Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington can bring their household hazardous waste to Portsmouth’s Department of Public Works, 680 Peverly Hill Rd. Portsmouth, NH on

Portsmouth, Greenland and Newington, with funding assistance from NH Department of Environmental Services (DES), pays for household hazardous waste collection day.

For more information about Household Hazardous Waste Collection (HHW) call DES at 271-2047 or visit our household hazardous waste web site at:  http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/p2au/pps/hhwp/index.htm

For more information about the NH Drinking Water Source Protection Program call DES at 271-7061 or visit the web site at:  http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/dwgb/dwspp/index.htm