Hazardous Waste Disposal in Boise: Where to Take It
Paint, chemicals, motor oil, batteries and old electronics have their own drop-off sites in Ada County, and most of them are free for residents. We do not haul household hazardous waste, so this page points you to the places that do take it.
Everything below comes from the City of Boise and Ada County. Check their pages before you go, because hours and rules change.
Does a junk removal crew haul hazardous waste?
No. The crew cannot haul household hazardous waste, and that includes paint, solvents, pesticides, auto fluids and batteries other than the ordinary alkaline kind. Hauling the rest of your cleanout is the part we do. Set the hazardous items aside, we take everything else, and you make one trip to a county drop-off with what is left. Our list of what junk removal will not take in Boise has the short version. Old electronics are a different story: those can go with a regular load.
Where is the household hazardous waste drop-off in Boise?
The Ada County Household Hazardous Waste facility is at the Ada County Landfill, 10300 N Seamans Gulch Rd, Boise, in the first building on the left before the scale house.
- Hours: Fridays and Saturdays, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closed the rest of the week and on county-observed holidays.
- Cost: free for household hazardous waste.
- Questions: the HHW office takes calls on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The number is on the county's hazardous waste page.
- Who: Ada County households. Staff unload your vehicle, and the City of Boise asks you to stay in it for safety. Expect lines when it opens and in the hours before closing, and after holidays.
The county's rule of thumb: more than 25 gallons or 25 individual items goes directly to the landfill's facility rather than a mobile site. Bigger cleanouts belong here.
Verify before you go. See the county's household hazardous waste page and the City of Boise household hazardous waste page.
Is there a closer hazardous waste drop-off than the landfill?
Possibly. The county and the City of Boise run mobile collection sites at fire stations, parks and a few other spots around the Treasure Valley, open most Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings, from noon to 7:00 p.m. Locations rotate by week, so use the calendar rather than guessing. The City of Boise has a mobile collection site calendar, and the county lists the weekly schedule on its hours and locations page.
Mobile sites are for residents and take small loads, up to about 25 items or what fits in a small SUV or car trunk. Do not leave anything at a site when the collection vehicle is not there. The City of Boise says that creates hazardous conditions and violates city code.
What does household hazardous waste include?
The City of Boise's accepted list includes:
- Automotive: used motor oil (up to 25 gallons), antifreeze, old gasoline (up to 5 gallons at mobile sites) and road flares.
- Paints and stains, up to 25 gallons: latex and oil-based paint, solvents, paint thinners and wood stains.
- Yard and garden: pesticides, insecticides, garden chemicals, and pool and spa chemicals.
- Mercury-containing items: fluorescent tubes, CFL bulbs and mercury thermometers. LED bulbs go in the trash.
- Gas cylinders: 20-pound refillable propane tanks, 1-pound camping canisters and retail-size helium tanks.
The program does not accept explosives, ammunition, radioactive materials, biomedical waste or tires. For unwanted ammunition, the city says to call Impact Guns first (its number is on the city's page), because it is accepted only with the manager's approval. Prescription drugs and electric mowers are also not accepted. Tires can go to the Ada County Landfill for a small fee.
Businesses are handled separately. Very small quantity generators (under 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month) can use the facility by appointment on Fridays for a fee. The county asks for at least one day of notice, so use the contact on its hazardous waste page.
How do you dispose of batteries in Boise?
It depends on the type, according to the City of Boise.
- Alkaline (AA, AAA, C, D): throw in the trash cart.
- Lithium (non-rechargeable) and lithium ion (rechargeable): take to a mobile HHW collection site.
- E-cigarettes and vape pens: take to a mobile HHW collection site.
- E-bike and e-scooter batteries: take to a mobile HHW collection site. The Battery Network also accepts them, so check its website for a location.
- Lead-acid (car and motorcycle): return to a local battery distributor such as Interstate Batteries or Sterling Batteries for a core refund, or take to a mobile HHW collection site.
- Everything else (zinc-carbon, silver oxide, mercury button cells): take to a mobile HHW collection site.
The city warns that a lithium ion battery thrown in the trash can catch fire. Boise Fire responded to a trash trailer fire at Republic Services in 2020 that was caused by one. Do not put them in a junk pile either.
Where can you recycle electronics in Boise?
Per the City of Boise, mobile collection sites take laptops, hard drives and other computer equipment, flat screen TVs of any size, TVs under 27 inches including older tube TVs, audio and video equipment, cell phones and countertop microwaves. There are limits: three computer monitors, and two tube TVs smaller than 27 inches.
The bigger stuff goes to the Recovery and Diversion Area at the Ada County Landfill, past the scales. The city lists console and rear projection TVs, TVs larger than 27 inches, tabletop printers, scanners, over-the-range microwaves and fax machines there. The county's recycling page lists TVs, monitors, printers, microwaves and phones as accepted e-waste there, and its hazardous waste page says larger items are still free of charge at that area.
If the old computer is just one piece of a bigger cleanout, you do not have to deal with it separately. A junk removal crew can take electronics along with the rest of the load, as covered in our what we will not take guide.
What about hazardous waste in Canyon County?
Canyon County runs its own program. It lists free household hazardous and electronic waste disposal events, free for households only, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The next one on the county's list is December 9, 2026, at the O'Connor Field House. Limit waste to 25 gallons or 20 items per household. The Pickles Butte landfill also takes up to 10 gallons of latex paint and used oil from residents. Details are in our Canyon County landfill guide.
Hazardous waste drop-off questions
What is the hazardous waste drop-off in Boise?
The Ada County Household Hazardous Waste facility at the Ada County Landfill, 10300 N Seamans Gulch Rd, takes it from Ada County households on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at no charge. Mobile collection sites run most Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings, noon to 7:00 p.m.
Does the household hazardous waste drop-off cost anything?
No. Both the City of Boise and Ada County say it is free for households. Businesses that qualify as very small quantity generators pay a fee and need an appointment on Fridays.
Does the Boise hazardous waste site take medications?
No. The City of Boise lists prescription drugs among the items its household hazardous waste program does not accept, and points to a separate medication disposal page on its site.
Can a business use the Ada County hazardous waste facility?
Some can. Businesses that qualify as very small quantity generators, under 220 pounds of hazardous waste a month, may use the facility by appointment on Fridays for a fee, and the waste must come from Ada County.
Can you pick up my paint, chemicals or batteries?
No. We cannot haul household hazardous waste. We take the rest of the cleanout, and you bring the paint, chemicals and batteries to a county drop-off.
Where do I take old electronics in Boise?
Small items like laptops, flat screen TVs and phones go to a mobile collection site. Console TVs, TVs larger than 27 inches and tabletop printers go to the Recovery and Diversion Area at the Ada County Landfill. A junk removal crew can also take electronics as part of a regular load.
How do I get rid of lithium batteries in Boise?
Take them to a mobile household hazardous waste collection site. The City of Boise says not to put lithium ion batteries in the trash because they can start fires.
Can I throw alkaline batteries in the trash?
Yes. The City of Boise says alkaline AA, AAA, C and D batteries can go in the trash cart. Other battery types should go to a collection site.
Do they take old gasoline and motor oil?
Yes. The city lists used motor oil up to 25 gallons and old gasoline up to 5 gallons at mobile sites. Larger quantities go to the facility at the landfill.
How much household hazardous waste can I bring at once?
Mobile sites take up to about 25 items or what fits in a small SUV or car trunk. The county's rule of thumb is that more than 25 gallons or 25 items should go straight to the landfill's facility.
Hazardous items set aside? Let us take the rest.
Pull the paint, chemicals and batteries out, then describe what is left on the phone for a free estimate. Upfront volume-based pricing, no hidden fees.
(208) 845-3223