CREOC Household Hazardous Waste Collection

Overview

The Capitol Region East Operating Committee (CREOC) operates a regional Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection program for our member towns.

Member Towns

• Ellington 
• Glastonbury 
• Hebron 
• Marlborough 
• Manchester
• Somers 
• South Windsor 
• Stafford 
• Vernon

HHW is generally defined as a household waste that is toxic, flammable, reactive, or corrosive. Common HHW includes thinners, pool chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, mercury thermometers, smoke detectors, and gasoline. The Household Hazardous Waste collection program provides an opportunity to manage these wastes in an environmentally safe manner, to keep them out of the regular waste stream, and it is the best way to dispose of all those chemicals we tend to accumulate in our kitchens, basements, garages, sheds, and workshops.

The CREOC HHW Collection Program consists of several events hosted by the Town of Manchester at 321 Olcott Street, and one outreach event in another member town each year. A licensed hazardous waste management firm manages the collection and disposal. This is a free service provided to all residents of CREOC member towns.

This is your opportunity to safely dispose of common household hazardous materials which may have accumulated at your home, in your basement, or garage. To minimize the use of hazardous material, check out the resource that's linked below:

Household Alternatives for a Safer Environment

Event Dates and Appointments

Online appointments are mandatory. Make your ONLINE APPOINTMENT here.

Click Here to Schedule your Appointment

• We can accommodate about 300 residents at each collection event, and the events tend to fill up early.
• Follow the rules listed under the Acceptable & Unacceptable Items section.
• If you need to cancel a scheduled appointment, please email hhw@manchesterct.gov or call 860-647-3200 option 3. This will open your appointment time up for someone else. 
  
  

Collection Events at the Regional HHW Facility

Location: Manchester Public Works Department Garage, 321 Olcott Street, Manchester, CT

Directions: Exit 1 from 384, follow Spencer Street for 0.9 miles. Turn left on Olcott Street. Follow signs to Facility.

Dates:

• Saturday, March 14, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Saturday, April 11, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Saturday, May 16, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Saturday, June 13, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Wednesday, July 15, 2026, 3pm-7pm (evening event)
• Saturday, August 15, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Saturday, September 19, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Saturday, October 31, 2026, 8am-1pm
• Saturday, February 6, 2027*, 8am-1pm

Times: All Saturday collections are held from 8am to 1pm. For the last appointments of the events, please arrive no later than 1pm. All cars in line as of 1pm will be serviced and cars arriving after 1pm will not be serviced. (In the instance of our evening event, final appointments should arrive by 7pm in order to be serviced.)

Fall Outreach Collection Event

Location: Ellington Public Works, 21 Main St. Ellington, CT 06029

Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026, 8am-1pm

Time: The outreach collection event will be held from 8am to 1pm. For the last appointments of the events, please arrive by 1pm. All cars in line as of 1pm will be serviced and cars arriving after 1pm will not be serviced.

Collection Event Instructions

1. Make an online appointment and show up at your appointment time.
2. Proof of Residency (driver's license, tax bill or vehicle registration) is required.
3. No commercial vehicles (trailers or work vans) permitted.
4. Attendees must remain in their vehicle at all times.
5. Attendees must show proof of residency through the window for Town verification.
6. After checking in attendees will be directed to the collection area.
7. Vehicles will be approached from the passenger’s side, and the materials will be removed
8. HHW items must be in the rear of your vehicle. Vehicles should have a remote trunk/gate mechanism or have a compartment open prior to vehicle inspection.
9. All paperwork will be done by on-site staff from the outside of the vehicle the day of collection. No use of pre-printed online forms.
10. HHW shall be in disposable container(s). NO CONTAINERS WILL BE RETURNED. For example, old gasoline must be in a disposal container

The annual HHW Collection Save-the-Date postcard is mailed every March. Please hold onto it! We only send one mailer in the spring for the entire calendar year (no fall mailer will be sent). You can click the link below to download an electronic copy of the HHW postcard:

2026-HHW-Postcard.pdf(PDF, 531KB)

Acceptable & Unacceptable Items

Please see below for all acceptable and unacceptable items.

DO NOT BRING used/waste motor oil or spent antifreeze. These are NOT hazardous waste. They can be brought to your Town's Transfer Station and/or certain automotive stores. If your Town does not have a Transfer Station or offer collection for these fluids, you will find information on the CT DEEP website, linked below.

What do I do with?...

Paint Recycling: Residents can conveniently dispose of oil and latex paint, stain, and varnishes for free, year-round, at locations that participate in Connecticut's PaintCare program. The State of Connecticut is one of eight states covered by PaintCare. PaintCare is a non-profit organization created by the American Coatings Association to manage the industry's various paint recycling programs. All residents and businesses in Connecticut are able to recycle eligible paints and stains at participating paint take back locations. PaintCare Drop-off Site Look-up Tool. 

Paints, stains, and varnishes may be collected at your Town Transfer Station. See links above for locations. 

Manchester Residents

Connecticut PaintCare Recycling Program in Manchester

The Manchester Transfer Station accepts paint year-round through the PaintCare program. Transfer Station hours are:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Friday: 7:30am - 12pm and 12:30pm to 2:45pm
Saturday: 7:15am - 2:30pm.

Manchester Sherwin Williams stores accept PaintCare eligible products during open hours. They have a five container limit per visit. Contact each store directly to confirm their take back program policies.

Note: Dry, empty paint cans should go in the trash. Aerosol cans are currently not accepted as part of PaintCare and should be brought to a Household Hazardous Waste collection day. 

Prescription Medication Collection

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has two annual National Prescription Drug Take Back Days: one in April and one in October. For year-round drop-off stations, use the DEA search tool to find a location near you.

Year-Round Prescription Drug Drop-off Site Look-up Tool

For those in or near Manchester, the Manchester Police Department hosts a prescription medication drop box in the main lobby at the Police Department at 239 Middle Turnpike East. This box is accessible 24/7. For more information, call 860-645-5568.