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Where to Recycle
This information will assist you with handling and disposing of hazardous wastes and aid you in recycling materials typically found in and around your home.
- Aluminum
- Appliances
- Batteries (NI-CD)
- Batteries (Auto)
- Cardboard
- Cell Phones
- Electronics
- Fluorescent Bulbs
- Glass
- Latex Paint
- Motor Oil
- Oil-Based Paint
- Paper
- Plastics PETE#1 & HDPE#2
- Plastic Bags & Plastic Wrap
- Scrap Metal
- Sharps
- Styrofoam & Packaging Material
- Tin
- Tires
- Vehicles
- Waste Pesticide
- Paint Products
Aluminum & Tin Cans
Cans need to be emptied and rinsed clean.
- Recycling Centers
- Drop-Off Recycling Trailers
- Wenatchee Valley Salvage & Recycling 295 Urban Industrial Avenue East Wenatchee, WA 98802 - (509) 886-7161
Pictures below to help identify the right material to recycle.
Appliances
- Recycling Centers Call to set up a time to drop-off appliances.
- Wenatchee Valley Salvage & Recycling 295 Urban Industrial Avenue East Wenatchee, WA 98802 - (509) 886-7161
Batteries (NI-CD)
- Recycling Centers
- Call2Recycle Re-Chargeable batteries accepted at bins located at Lowe's and Home Depot in Wenatchee, WA 98801
- Pacific Power Batteries 742 S. Mission Wenatchee, WA 98801 - (509) 663-6100 Recycling lead-acid batteries is a big part of their business. Other batteries accepted are: Ni-Cad (Nickel-Cadmium), Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride), Lithium Ion types, Alkaline, and Carbon-Zinc.
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event - held by Douglas County Last Event: 3/26. Next Event: To be announced.
- Recycling Centers
- Pacific Power Batteries 742 S. Mission Wenatchee, WA 98801 - (509) 663-6100
- Battery Systems of Wenatchee 921 N Miller Wenatchee WA, 98801 - (509) 886-9033
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event - held by Douglas County Last Event: 3/26. Next Event: To be announced.
Clean, flattened cardboard. NO food soiled or wet cardboard.
Pictures below to help identify the right material and the proper way of disposing.
Cell Phones
- Call2Recycle Bins are located at Lowe's and Home Depot in Wenatchee.
Electronics
Department of Ecology
Recyclable Electronics
Acceptable recyclable electronics can be turned in by households, small business, charities, school districts and small government offices. The items are disassembled and the parts are recycled into new, useable items. The acceptable items for this program are:
- Televisions
- Computers
- Computer monitors
- CD ROMs
- Connecting cables and wires
- Hard drives
- Laptops
- Mother boards
- Scanners
- Zip drives
- Tablets
- E-readers
- Portable DVD players
Non-Recyclable Electronics
Unfortunately, computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice and printers are not included in this program. These items can and should be recycled as well.
Drop-off locations for peripherals such as keyboards, mice and printers, are:
- Salvation Army - 1219 Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA -(509) 662-5103
- Pacific Power Batteries - 742 S. Mission Wenatchee, WA -(509) 663-6100
- Wenatchee Goodwill - 830 S. Mission Wenatchee, WA -(509) 663-7636
- E. Wenatchee Goodwill - 620 Grant Road E. Wenatchee, WA -(509) 884-1906
- YWCA - 231 N. Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA -(509) 423-7599
All Electronic Waste, even those excluded from the E-Cycle WA program can be recycled for a fee here:
- Office Depot - 915 N. Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA 98801 -(509) 663-4733 Recycle boxes ( $5, $10, and $15) Small items such as cell phones or big items such as printers.
Any brand of ink cartridges from any store can be recycled at:
- Office Depot - 915 N. Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA 98801 -(509) 663-4733
Check with your service provider for a recycle program.
- Dish Network has a recycling program for your old satellite dish.
Fluorescent Bulbs
CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) and fluorescent tubes are recycled through the LightRecycle Wasington Program.
These drop-off sites are free of charge but have a limit of 10 per person, per day:
- Stan's Merry Mart - 733 S. Wenatchee Ave. Wenatchee, WA -(509) 662-5858
- Rock Island Community Recycling Center - 23 S. Garden Ave. Rock Island WA - (509) 884-1261
- Lake Chelan Lighting Center - 917 E Woodin Ave Chealn, WA -(509) 687-6101
Free of charge, once a year, without limits, you can bring CFL and fluorescent tubes to:
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event - held by Douglas County Last Event: 3./26. Next Event: To be announced.
Glass
Thanks to Lake Chelan Rotary's project 911 Glass Rescue, residents can drop relatively-clean glass bottles, jars and ceramics off in Chelan at the City of Chelan Recycling Center at 23235 Hwy 97A on Saturdays from 8am - 12pm.
The glass is crushed and reused as sand, gravel, landscaping/agriculture purposes and much more!
You will be charged a modest fee according to weight to help defray their costs. You can then take some of their product home to experiment and play with! To find more about this project visit 911glassrescue.org.
Latex Paint
Residents can check our Events Page to find our next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.
Residents can recycle paint products at PaintCare drop-off sites listed below. Accepted products include latex paint, oil-based paint, stain, varnish and more.
- Sherwin-Williams - 1505 N. Miller Wenatchee, WA 98801 -(509) 663-1751 This site accepts latex, oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
- Rodda Paint - 1544 N Wenatchee Ave #300, Wenatchee, WA -(509) 663-0137 This site accepts latex, oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Residents can check our Collection Events Page for the next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event to dispose of paint products.
Residents can be using one of the following methods to dry out latex paint and dispose themselves. Once the latex paint has hardened or solidified, place the can with the lid off in your garbage container. The garbage hauler needs to see that the paint has been solidified.
Air
- Remove the lid and let the paint dry out in the can
- Protect from freezing and rain as well as curious children and animals
- This only works when an inch or less of paint is left in the can and is most effective in the warmer months.
Cat Litter
- Mix latex paint with an equal amount of clay-based cat litter
- Stir in completely and let the paint dry. It takes about 10 minutes for the cat litter to harden.
- Add more cat litter if the paint is soft or runny after 10 minutes. Repeat until the material is very thick.
- Sawdust, dirt, and shredded paper can be tried as alternatives to cat litter.
- If there is not enough room in the paint can to stir in enough cat litter to dry it all out, pour off paint into any plastic or cardboard container that is large enough to hold the material, including a yogurt container, plastic tub, shoebox, or other convenient container.
Painter Hardener
- Mix latex paint or stain with commercial paint hardener according to the directions.
- At the end of that time, paint will have a tacky, oatmeal-like consistency that will not spill out.
Motor Oil
Currently, the City of Rock Island and Town of Waterville's Recycling Centers do collect uncontaminated used waste motor oil. They ask their citizens to not contaminate their waste oil with brake fluid, antifreeze, solvents, pesticides or any other non-motor oil product, as the Community Recycling Centers cannot legally burn contaminated waste oil. Up to 55 gallons can be collected.
Please call and schedule a drop-off time.
- Rock Island City Hall - Phone: 509-884-1261
- Waterville Town Hall - Phone: 509-745-8871
Dryden transfer station will accept motor oil @ $1 per gallon
- Dryden Transfer Station - Phone: 509-548-5592
Oil-Based Paint
Oil based paint is considered a household hazardous waste and must be disposed of at a Household Hazardous Waste Event or through the PaintCare Program.
Check our Events page for the next Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event.
Residents can recycle paint products at PaintCare drop-off sites listed below. Accepted products include latex paint, oil-based paint, stain, varnish and more.
- Sherwin-Williams - 1505 N. Miller Wenatchee, WA 98801 -(509) 663-1751 This site accepts latex, oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
- Rodda Paint - 1544 N Wenatchee Ave #300, Wenatchee, WA -(509) 663-0137 This site accepts latex, oil-based house paint, stains and varnish in containers up to 5 gallons in size. This site does not accept aerosols (spray paint or other spray products), containers without original labels, or containers that are leaking or empty.
Oil-based paint accounts for approximately 15% of paint sales in the United States. It is preferred by most do-it-yourselfers for exterior paint jobs because of its durability in outdoor conditions. Oil-based paint is more detrimental to our environment than latex paints because it contains hazardous ingredients.
Oil-based paints contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other flammable or hazardous constituents that can result in environmental problems if poured down the drain, into a storm drain, or if the liquid is disposed of in the regular trash.
How to Tell if the Paint Is Oil-Based
- Read the label: The product is solvent or oil-based if the instructions are to clean with mineral spirits or turpentine. If cleanup instructions say you can clean your brush with soap and water, it is typically latex or water-based paint. If you can't read the label, assume it is oil-based for disposal purposes.
- Water test: If the paint is water-based, it will dissolve in water easily. Place a small amount of paint in a small clear container with some water. Latex paint will mix with the water while oil-based paint will separate and form layers similar to the layers formed when oil and vinegar are mixed.
Paper & Paper Food Containers Newspaper, magazines, catalogs, phonebooks, paperback books, mail (plastic window envelopes ok), paper bags, and food boxes. Empty and clean paper cups, cartons, and boxes. NOTHING plastic lined (hot coffee cups) or waxy (frozen food like ice cream cartons) NO food soiled or wet paper (greasy pizza boxes) NO shredded paper (it gets caught in the machine)
Clean paper and clean paper food containers.
Pictures below to help identify the right material to recycle.
Plastic PETE #1 & HDPE #2 Bottle shape with screw off lid preferred, ONLY #1 and #2 plastics DO NOT put small plastic lids in the recycling, they should be thrown away.
Pictures below to help identify the right material to recycle.
Plastic Grocery Bags & Plastic Wrap
Residents can take plastic grocery bags and plastic wrap to the local grocery stores to be recycled. Please DO NOT put in curbside bins. Stores in the Wenatchee Valley that accept them include:
- Safeway (East Wenatchee, Wenatchee and Chelan)
- Walmart (Wenatchee and Chelan)
- Grocery Outlet in East Wenatchee
- Fred Meyer
- Martin's Market in Cashmere.
Pictures below to help identify the right material to recycle.
Scrap Metal
- Recycling Centers
- Wenatchee Valley Salvage & Recycling 925 Urban Industrial Avenue East Wenatchee, WA 98802 - (509) 886-7161
Sharps
"Sharps" such as needles or syringes can be taken to these drop-off sites listed below.
Accepted are residential sharps only, no other medical waste, and must be in approved "Sharps Waste Container" which may be purchased at a local pharmacy. A leak-proof, rigid, puncture-resistant plastic container such as a liquid detergent bottle can be used. Once full, reinforce the lid the heavy duty tape (duct tape), and label the container.
- South Wenatchee Transfer Station - 1421 S. Wenatchee Ave - 509-662-8885
- East Wenatchee City Hall - 271 9th St. E. Wenatchee - 509-884-9515
- Recycling Centers
- Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events held by Douglas County Last Event: 3/26/22 Next Event: To be announced.
Pictures below to help identify Sharps and the approved Sharps Waste Containers.
Residents can take all kinds of Styrofoam and packaging material (#6 plastics) to:
- Dolco Packaging @ 1121 S. Columbia St. in Wenatchee. Phone:509-663-8541 Food containers need to be rinsed clean. They recycle locally what they can and ship the rest off to be recycled elsewhere. This is a free service to our community.
Packing peanuts, mail pillows and bubble wrap can also be recycled at these locations:
- Pak It Rite @ 36 N. Chelan Ave in Wenatchee Phone: 509-663-1072
- Mail It Your Way @ 595-3 Grant Road in East Wenatchee Phone: 509-888-9686
Majority of the packing peanuts are biodegradable corn or wheat starch, and will dissolve in water. Test to see if your will dissolve before recycling.
Pictures below to help identify the right material to be recycled.
Tin & Steel Cans
- Recycling Centers
- Drop-off Recycling Trailers
- Wenatchee Valley Salvage & Recycling 295 Urban Industrial Drive East Wenatchee, WA 98802 - (509) 886-7161
Cans need to be emptied and rinsed clean.
Pictures below to help identify the right material to recycle.
Tires
- Recycling Centers There will be a small handling charge for each tire and rim collected at the Community Recycling Centers. Contact your local City or Town Hall for specific information related to charges.
- Discount Tires There will be a small handling charge at Discount Tire in Wenatchee.
- Tire Collections Events held by Douglas County Next Event: Appointments available now.
Vehicles
Please contact the below businesses for further information on recycling vehicles.
- E-Z Auto Wrecking
1855 Rock Island Road
East Wenatchee, WA 98802
Phone: 509-884-5000 - Wenatchee Valley Salvage and Recycling
295 Urban Industrial Avenue
Wenatchee, WA 98802
Phone: 509-886-7161
Waste Pesticides
For information on how to dispose of your unused pesticides, please contact the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA).
Douglas County Solid Waste is working hard and we are very close to having regular drop-off sites to dispose of paint products.