Hazardous household waste
You can take some hazardous waste, but not asbestos, to an Essex household waste recycling centre where it will de disposed of safely.
Asbestos
You cannot take asbestos, to any household waste recycling centre in Essex.
Collection service
You can make a request for bonded asbestos to be collected and disposed of by Essex County Council. A subsidised collection is available for each household in Essex, every financial year.
There is more information about asbestos health and safety on the Health and Safety Executive website.
Paints and other chemicals
Recycling centres will take all typical household hazardous waste such as:
- oil-based paint
- varnishes
- paint stripper
- some wood treatments (creosote)
- garden chemicals (weed killer, insect killer and fertilizers)
- swimming pool chemicals (chlorine additives, pH adjusters and algicides)
- poisons (rat poison and mouse poison)
- flammable liquids (white spirit, paraffin and wood dyes)
- motoring products (antifreeze and brake or clutch fluid)
It's best to check before bringing anything unusual as the recycling centre staff may need to treat it in a special way or store it safely.
Collection service
You can arrange for Essex County Council to collect up to 20 litres of chemical waste from your own home.
The service is subsidised. If you have a larger amount of chemical waste Essex will charge you.
To request a collection you'll need to email waste.management@essex.gov.uk
In your email you'll need to include:
- a list of the chemicals you want to get rid of
- the amount of each chemical you want to get rid of
- your home postal address
- your phone number
- your email address
There is more information on disposing of household hazardous waste in Essex on the Love Essex website.