People can responsibly clear out unneeded hazardous materials from their garages and basements on September 6 during a special joint recycling event in the Cambridge High School parking lot.

There’s no cost for people to bring items for the Household Hazardous Waste Collection, which the City is running with our expert partners at MXI Environmental Services. But to help us plan accordingly so the event is as efficient and effective as possible, do-gooders will drop-off items should register in advance.

Starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 26, you can sign-up accordingly at www.miltonga.gov/HHWCollection. This is first-come, first-serve with a limited number of participants allowed.

These products will be collected: 

• Cylinders containing helium, propane, or fire extinguishers
• Automotive and single-use household batteries
• Items containing mercury
• Fluorescent bulbs and tubes
• Stain or varnish (up to 10 gallons)
• Aerosol paint/spray cans
• Flammable liquids like gas, kerosene, and what’s in lighters
• Automotive liquids such as transmission fluid, brake fluid, and motor oil
• Gardening chemicals (i.e. pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers)
• Pool chemicals
• Household cleaning products

The stain, varnish, gardening chemicals, pool chemicals, and household cleaning products should all be in their original containers. Experts from MXI Environmental Services, aided by City staff and volunteers, will oversee the handling, transportation, and proper disposal of all collected materials.

The collection itself will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that Saturday in the Cambridge High School parking lot at 2845 Bethany Bend in Milton.

That’s the same time and place as Cambridge High’s theatre program will run its annual Paint Recycling fundraiser. Unlike the City’s portion of the event, no advance registration is required for this. Also different: people will pay to drop off their gallons with the exact price depending on the type and amount of paint). For information about this fundraiser, visit https://www.cambridgetheatre.org/paint-fundraiser.

This joint recycling collection will happen around the same time and around the corner from Milton’s popular Touch-a-Truck event. That will happen from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that Saturday along Highway 9 at Stonecreek Church, which is running this event in collaboration with the City of Milton. Touch-a-Truck annually draws thousands of people, so expect more traffic than usual if you’re participating in the recycling event.