Where Do I Get Rid Of A to Z

You must use a licensed asbestos removal contractor to dispose of asbestos. Check the yellow pages for licensed contractors.

Click here to learn more about the Handling, Disposal, and Recycling of Asbestos.

• Other Charities
• Kids Car Donations
• Veteran Car Donations

Alkaline batteries manufactured after 1994 can be thrown out with the regular trash. All alkaline batteries manufactured before 1994, NiCad, button, zinc and lithium batteries should be disposed of through the of Town Reading Household Hazardous Waste Day.

To recycle rechargeable batteries, call (800) 8-BATTERY or visit Call2Recycle

Where to Donate Used Books? More Than Words is a local resource that accepts book donations. CLICK HERE to view their website. 

Homeowners and contractors can donate good quality used and surplus building materials to Building Materials Resource Center. Save on disposal fees and earn tax deductions. Call (617) 442-2262 to schedule a pick-up. Visit the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection website for more options and information. 

May be disposed of curbside if cut into 3 ft. lengths, rolled and tied. Carpet is considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week. 

Picked up curbside one week in January, may also be brought to the Compost Center on Strout Ave Reading MA, one Saturday in January, dates TBA must have Compost Access Sticker or Compost Card Permit to enter the site. 

Food waste and many garden materials such as yard clippings are considered organic waste, which can be recovered through composting. Give composting a chance - start your own pile. For curbside pick up of food waste, residents can also contact Black Earth Composting from Gloucester, MA. Black Earth Composting may be reached by calling (978) 290-4610 or you can click here to view their website.

Cathode Ray Tubes like televisions, or computer monitors may be disposed of curbside by appointment. Call Republic at (800) 442-9006 to have them picked up on your regular trash day. Once payment is received, no refunds are granted. Republic will pick up CRTs and Monitors on Fridays only for a fee of $35 per item.

Flat screen monitors and keyboards can be recycled at the DPW garage. Please review the "Electronics Recycling" tab on the left hand menu for a full list of electronics you can drop off. 

EWaste Solutions will do door to door CRT removal for a fee, call 800-781-0987 or 781-933-0709 or e-mail them at info@ewastesolutions.com or you can recycle your old computer or monitor through a manufacturer. These manufacturers will recycle any brand of computer hardware: Apple, Dell, Gateway, HP. The National Cristina Foundation will also hook up your old computer with a nonprofit organization that will train disabled and other disadvantaged people. 

Clean Harbors Environmental, Inc. Clean Harbors holds collections Saturday mornings from April 1 - October 31 at their facility in Braintree. Click through for their hours, cost, directions and contact information. 

This will not be accepted for curbside disposal. Insulation, brick, drywall/plaster soil, gravel, asphalt, shingles and other similar materials are considered construction debris. Residents should properly dispose of this waste by having the contractor completing this work be responsible for removing it.  Thomson Brothers Industries (TBI), 210 Holt Road, North Andover, MA will accept non-hazardous construction/demo debris for a fee, or you can contact a local disposal company listed in the yellow pages or newspaper.

Doors may be disposed of curbside. Considered a bulky item and each household is allowed only one bulky item per week

You can drop off most electronics, other than computer monitors and TVs, at the DPW Facility 75 Newcrossing Rd. Monday - Friday 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. Please review the "Electronic Recycling" tab in the left hand menu for a full list of electronics you can drop off.

recyclable, collected by the Lions Club.

Wood (no more than two bundles) must be bundled and tied, less than 30 inches (2.5 feet) and no heavier than 50 pounds. No pressure treated wood is accepted.  Do not place wood in a trash barrel.  You may place out wood alongside your barrel as your one bulk item per week.   Wood fences, which have not been painted, stained or treated, may be cut down and prepared as stated above. For pressure treated wood, please click through to the DEP website.

Call Republic at (800) 442-9006 to schedule a pickup for metal file cabinets (Friday pick ups only, fee of $35 per item), or keep for our annual metal pickup each Spring.

Bring Fire Extinguishers to Hazardous Waste Day.

Dispose of expended or broken fluorescent bulbs at the Department of Public Works Facility, 75 Newcrossing Rd. Fluorescent bulbs, including energy saving compacts, contain a small amount of mercury. If a fluorescent bulb breaks in your home, do not inhale the vapor and do not use a vacuum for cleanup. Sweep the pieces together with a brush or broom - not with your hand - and clean up bits of glass with a wet rag or towel, then place the towel and the pieces into a plastic bag. Fluorescent bulbs emit no mercury unless they are broken. 

Sofas, chairs, recliners, tables, and book cases may be disposed of curbside. They are considered a bulk item and each household is allowed to put out only one bulk item per week. Several area charities will also accept donated furniture. To arrange a pickup of furniture and other items at your home call Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (781) 595-7570, Second Time Around toll free (866) 768-3325, St. Vincent DePaul (800) 675-2882, or The Salvation Army (617) 542-5420, Mission of Deeds (781) 944-9797.

Considered a bulk item may be placed curbside. Each household is allowed only one bulk item per week. Propane tanks must be removed. Empty propane tanks must be taken to the Household Hazardous Waste Day collection.

Donate items in good condition like clothing, linens, household goods, etc, to charitable organizations such as Coalition for the Homeless (781) 482-3733, The Salvation Army or Goodwill Industries.

Recycle your empty ink and toner cartridges at any Staples store and get $2 back in Staples Rewards®. Not only do you earn Rewards to use at Staples, (Crossing at Walkers Brook) 34 Walkers Brook Dr., Reading, MA 01867, (781) 944-0563. You are also reducing landfill waste and saving resources. Now that's rewarding for both you and the planet!

Milk and juice cartons are made largely from paper sources and fall under the material category of paperboard. 

There are two types of cartons; the first kind, aseptic or shelf-stable cartons, is made from paper with a thin layer of polyethylene plastic and aluminum to preserve products without refrigeration. You’ll find aseptic cartons in the non-refrigerated aisles of a supermarket to store broth, soup, soy milk and even wine.

The second type of carton – refrigerated cartons – is used to package juice, milk and egg substitutes and, as the name suggests, is found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Cities and towns are making carton recycling more convenient for their residents by offering curbside recycling programs.

Considered a bulk item, Lawn mowers may be disposed of curbside as long as the gas and oil are drained. Each household is allowed only one bulk item per week.

Mattress Recycling

Since Monday, October 31, 2022, Republic Services no longer picks up mattresses or box springs as bulk waste.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has made amendments to its waste ban regulations which include the banning of mattresses from the trash stream and a requirement for them to be recycled.  

As a result, the Town of Reading has contracted with Tough Stuff Recycling to pick up and recycle mattresses and box springs for a fee.  Residents have two options available:

Pricing is for EACH mattress or box spring being disposed

$55.00 for curbside pickup

$33.00 for drop off at DPW garage (resident brings mattress or box spring to the DPW garage with proof of payment).  

For both curbside and drop off services, go to https://order.toughstuffrecycling.com/ or call Tough Stuff Recycling Customer Service: 978-307-4118

IMPORTANT:  Mattresses/box springs must be placed in a mattress bag prior to placing curbside, and prior to dropping off a mattress/box spring in the container at the DPW garage.    

Mattress bags are available at the DPW Administration office in town hall or the DPW garage free of charge with proof of payment that resident has scheduled with Tough Stuff Recycling. If you have any questions, please call the Department of Public Works at 781-942-9077.

What is accepted as part of the Mattress Recycling Program?

All size mattresses, including crib and foam. All size box springs. Each piece is considered a unit. 

What is NOT included in the recycling program?

Air or water beds, mattress pads and toppers, pet beds

Important:  Mattresses and box springs must be

• Free of bed bugs and other insects/vermin
• Not heavily soiled
• Dry
• Free of human bodily fluids
• Removed from any solid waste, trash, debris
• Placed in a mattress bag and put curbside on day of pickup or when dropped off at DPW garage

Dispose of unused medications at The Reading Police Department drop box at 15 Union St. Reading MA. Open 24/7.

The Health Department will accept mercury-containing products on a limited basis. Acceptable products include thermostats, switches, thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and barometers. Long fluorescent bulbs and energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, however, will not be accepted but can be disposed of through the Department of Public Works Facility 75 Newcrossing Rd.

Large metal items like a desk, exercise equipment, file cabinet may be disposed of by calling Republic at (800) 442-9006 to schedule a pickup. Once payment is received, no refunds are granted.

Scrap Metal: The Town of Reading will schedule 1 scrap metal pickup annually – date TBD

Recyclable – bring back to dry cleaners.

Newspapers and cardboard are collected curbside each week. Put in paper (not plastic) bags or tie in bundles. Place on top of or beside your recycling bin. Keep paper free of food and plastic wrapping and NO PLASTIC BAGS.

Old motor oil can be refined, reconditioned or reprocessed to become usable again. Most auto shops recycle their oil, and those that do DIY oil changes should recycle or dispose of their oil properly through household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities, auto shops or other collection sites. May also bring to the DPW Facility Monday thru Friday from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM at 75 Newcrossing Rd.

Dried out latex paint can be disposed of in the trash, curbside. For small amounts, leave the lid off the paint until dry. For larger amounts, mix with kitty litter or an additive that can be purchased your local hardware store. Dispose of dry paint in trash. Oil based paint will not be accepted curbside, but may be taken to the Household Hazardous Waste Day event that Reading holds each Spring and Wakefield holds each Fall – date TBD

The Town of Reading will schedule bulk rigid plastics recycling event  – date TBD.

Any plastic bag with the recycling triangles on it may be taken to local grocery stores for recycling, including Stop and Shop on Walkers Brook Dr and Market Basket on Walkers Brook Dr in Reading.

Donate clothing, furniture and household items, please call The Salvation Army at (800) 728-7825. Animal shelters also have a need for blankets and quilts.

The United States Post Office reuses rubber bands. Leave them out for your mail carrier, take to the Post Office, or place in a bag in a blue mailbox.

A sink may be disposed of curbside. Considered a bulk item and each household is allowed only one bulk item per week.

Most smoke detectors contain small amounts of a radioactive material, Americium 241 and are therefore, by law, labeled as having radioactive content. Smoke detectors may be disposed of through curbside trash collection or recycling (without the batteries and with a 3-triangle recycling symbol) or by returning them to the manufacturer for disposal as a hazardous waste. Send smoke detectors by surface or ground mail so they do not end up in an airplane. First Alert Corporation will take back any smoke detector made in Aurora, IL. Send to: First Alert, Radioactive Waste Disposal, 780 McClure Road, Aurora, IL 60504-2495.  For more information click here on how to dispose of smoke detectors.

Snow blowers 5 hp or under may be disposed of curbside as long as the gas and oil are drained. Over 5 hp, call Republic at (800) 442-9006 to schedule a pick up. Pick ups are done on Fridays only. Once payment is received, no refunds are granted.

Styrofoam peanuts should be discarded in your weekly curbside rubbish collection.

Considered a bulk item and each household is allowed only one bulk item per week in the regular trash.

You can donate your fabrics to The Salvation Army, Goodwill Industries or call Simple Recycling 866-835-5068.