Appliances/White Goods: Call JRM at (800) 323-4285 to schedule an appliance pick-up for items like stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and water heaters.  Call by 3 p.m. the day before your regular trash day for collection on your regular trash day.

Asbestos: You must use a licensed asbestos removal contractor to dispose of asbestos.  Check the yellow pages for licensed contractors.

Automobiles: Automobiles and other vehicles can be donated to an area charity for a tax deduction.  Special Olympics  Habitat for Humanity  Other Charities

Batteries: Alkaline batteries manufactured after 1994 can be thrown out with the regular trash. All alkaline batteries manufactured before 1994, NiCad, button, zinc and lithium batteries should be disposed of through the Minuteman Household Hazardous Products Facility. To recycle rechargeable batteries, call (800) 8-BATTERY or visit Call2Recycle.

Bicycles: Bikes not Bombs, a non-profit organization located in Roxbury, is working to promote community development and alternative transportation.  Donated bikes are shipped to third world countries and used locally to train young people as bicycle mechanics.  Kids can also build/recondition a bike through the Earn-A-Bike program.  Part of the program involves the kids participating in community service (617) 442-0004.

Books: Hands Across the Water seeks to reuse and conserve books by taking the surplus of books in the United States and giving them to people in Third World countries free of charge. (781) 438-4051.  Donate almost any kind of book to Got Books?  Got Books? is a registered professional fundraiser that sells donated books and gives the proceeds to local non-profit organizations.  Donations are not tax deductible.  (978) 664-6555

Building Materials: Homeowners and contractors can donate good quality used and surplus building materials to Building Materials Resource Center.  Save on disposal fees and earn tax deductions.  Call (617) 442-8917 to schedule a pick-up.  Visit the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection website for more options and information.

Carpet: May be disposed of curbside if cut into 4 ft. lengths, rolled and tied. No more than 15 rolls of carpet at a time.  Considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week.

Cell Phones: Drop off your old cell phone at Staples (located in Burlington and Bedford) as part of a Sierra Club recycling effort or visit Call2Recycle for other drop off locations.

Computers, Keyboards, Printers, Monitors: See CRTs

Construction Debris: This will not be accepted for curbside disposal.  Insulation, brick, drywall/plaster soil, gravel, asphalt, shingles and other similar materials are considered construction debris.  Residents should properly dispose of this waste by having the contractor completing this work be responsible for removing it.  Or contact a local disposal company listed in the yellow pages or newspaper.

CRTs: Cathode Ray Tubes like televisions, computers, keyboards, printers, a mouse, or computer monitors may be disposed of curbside by appointment. Call JRM at (800) 323-4285 by 3 p.m. the day before your regular trash day to have them picked up on your regular trash day. EWaste Solutions will do door to door CRT removal for a fee (781) 862-5558 or you can recycle your old  computer or monitor through a manufacturer.  These manufacturers will recycle any brand of computer hardware.  Apple, Dell, Gateway, HP,  The National Cristina Foundation will also hook up your old computer with a nonprofit organization that will train disabled and other disadvantaged people. Clean Harbors Environmental, Inc. Clean Harbors holds collections Saturday mornings from April 1 - October 31 at their facility in Braintree.  Click through for their hours, cost, directions and contact information.

Doors: Doors may be disposed of curbside.  Considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week.

Electronics:  See CRTs  You can also throw away electronic equipment, other than computer monitors and TVs, in the trash.

File Cabinet: Call JRM at (800) 323-4285 to schedule a pickup for metal file cabinets.

Fire Extinguisher: Empty fire extinguishers can be thrown away in the curbside trash.  If an old fire extinguisher is full, discharge it into a trash bag and then dispose of the bag curbside.

Fence: For wood fences, see "Wood" below.

Furniture: Mattresses, box springs, sofas, chairs, recliners, and lawn furniture may be disposed of curbside.  Considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week.  Several area charities will also accept donated furniture.  To arrange a pickup of furniture and other items at your home call Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (617) 423-9162 x101, Second Time Around toll free (866) 768-3325, St. Vincent DePaul (800) 675-2882, or the Salvation Army (617) 542-5420.

Grill: Call JRM to schedule a pick up for a gas and charcoal grill (800) 323-4285. Propane tanks must be removed.  Empty propane tanks must be taken to the Minuteman Household Hazardous Products Facility.

Household Goods: Bring items in good condition like clothing, linens, household goods, etc. to the Goodwill trailer behind Walgreens on Bedford St. Monday - Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. or Sunday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Lawn Mower: Lawn mowers may be disposed of curbside as long as the gas and oil are drained.  Call JRM at (800) 323-4285 to schedule a pick up.

Mercury-Containing Products: The Health Department will accept mercury-containing products on a limited basis.  Acceptable products include thermostats, switches, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and barometers. Long fluorescent bulbs and energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, however, will not be accepted but can be disposed of through the Minuteman Household Hazardous Products Facility. Please call in advance before bringing products in for disposal at (781) 862-0500, Ext. 200.

Metal: Large metal items like a desk, wood stove, exercise equipment, bed frame or file cabinet may be disposed of curbside.  Call JRM at (800) 323-4285 to schedule a pickup.  Scrap Metal: Johnny Carrolls on Waltham St. will accept scrap metal (781) 861-6060.

Paint: Dried out latex paint can be disposed of in the trash, curbside.  For small amounts, leave the lid off the paint until dry.  For larger amounts, mix with kitty litter or pour into shallow cardboard boxes lined with a trash bag to dry.  Dispose of dry paint in trash.  Oil based paint will not be accepted curbside, but may be taken to the Minuteman Household Hazardous Products Facility.

Plastic Bags: Any plastic bag with the recycling triangles on it may be taken to local grocery stores for recycling, including Stop and Shop on Bedford St. in Lexington and Roche Bros on Rte. 3 and Market Basket on Middlesex Turnpike in Burlington.

Rubber Bands: The United States Post Office reuses rubber bands.  Leave them out for your mail carrier, take to the Post Office, or place in a bag in a blue mailbox.

Sink: A sink may be disposed of curbside.  Considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week.

Smoke Detectors: Most smoke detectors contain small amounts of a radioactive material, Americium 241 and are therefore, by law, labeled as having radioactive content.  Smoke detectors may be disposed of through curbside trash collection or recycling (without the batteries and with a 3-triangle recycling symbol) or by returning them to the manufacturer for disposal as a hazardous waste.  Send smoke detectors by surface or ground mail so they do not end up in an airplane.  First Alert Corporation will take back any smoke detector made in Aurora, IL.  Send to: First Alert, Radioactive Waste Disposal, 780 McClure Road, Aurora, IL  60504-2495.

Sneakers: Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program collects old sneakers of any brand.  This program grinds up the shoes and uses them in the surfacing of playgrounds and athletic courts in underprivileged communities.  See the website for details on where you can drop off or mail your old sneakers.

Snow blower: Snow blowers may be disposed of curbside as long as the gas and oil are drained.  Call JRM at (800) 323-4285 to schedule a pick up.

Styrofoam Peanuts: Bring these to the UPS store at 405 Waltham St. for reuse (781) 861-7770.

Television: See CRTs.

Thermometer: See Mercury-Containing Products.

Tires and Rims: Two tires, without rims, may be disposed of curbside per week.  Considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week.  Tire rims ($2 each) may be taken to J.P. Carroll Company, 700 Waltham Street, Lexington (781) 861-6060.

Toilet: A-1 New & Used Plumbing and Heating Supplies in Somerville will accept toilets as long as they are not chipped, cracked or broken (617) 625-6140.  Also considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week in the regular trash.

Wood: Lexington residents may dispose of 5 bundles of wood per week curbside.  Wood or limbs may only be 1-3 inches in diameter, less than 3 feet long, and less than 75 pounds.  They must be bundled and tied.  Wood fences, which have not been painted, stained or treated, may be cut down and prepared as stated above.  For pressure treated wood, please click through to the DEP website.

Wood Stove: Call JRM to schedule a pickup (800) 323-4285.

Yard waste: See our webpage on yard waste collections and drop off availability.

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