General Household Item Disposal Options

Below are many recycling options for different types of household items.

When buying new appliances, check with the retailer about removal of old appliances. Fees may apply.

Donation Options

Waukesha Habitat for Humanity ReStore
2120 E. Moreland Blvd., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 
262-662-6062

Purple Heart 
1-800-924-0188

Safe Disposal Sites

Best Buy  

Allied Resource Recovery, Inc.  

Contact your waste/recycling service

Other Disposal Options

Elite Energy Distribution
3545 N. 127th St., Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005 
414-461-8216

Kohne Salvage
W200 S7203 Williams Dr., Muskego, Wisconsin 53150 
262-679-1135

Kral Scrap Metal
W224 S8575 Industrial Ave., Big Bend, Wisconsin 53103 
262-662-3215

Alter Trading
W229 N598 Foster Ct., Pewaukee, Wisconsin 53072
262-513-0048

Refrigerant Depot
5311 S. 9th St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53221 
414-627-1152

Refrigerant Recovery Inc.
1125 W. National Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53204 
414-643-7740

Waukesha Iron & Metal
1351 E. Main St., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 
262-547-7293

WM Landfills
Metro-Milwaukee: 414-761-2100
Orchard Ridge-Menomonee Falls: 262-253-8620

Municipal Disposal Sites

Big Bend Municipal Garage (Village of Big Bend residents only)
W231S9110 Riverside Dr., Big Bend, Wisconsin 53103 
262-662-4903

Brookfield City Recycling Center (City of Brookfield residents only)
19700 Riverview Dr., Brookfield, Wisconsin 53045 
262-782-5029

Merton Town Transfer Station (Town of Merton residents only)
N78W32101 Peterson Rd., Hartland, Wisconsin 53029 
262-966-2651

New Berlin Recycling/Compost City of New Berlin residents only
3821 S. Casper Dr., New Berlin, Wisconsin 53151
262-782-0390

Rechargeable batteries (Li-ion, Ni-Cd, etc.)

All types of batteries used in camcorders, printers, PDAs, power tools, cell phones and other small electronics can be recycled. Call to confirm store policies. 

Batteries Plus Bulbs 

Best Buy

Elite Energy Distribution

Home Depot

Lowes

Target

True Value Stores 

Visit Call2Recycle for a more complete list of participating businesses.

Alkaline Batteries

Batteries & Bulbs Plus stores accept small household alkaline batteries for recycling for a very small fee.

Elite Energy Distribution in Brookfield accepts alkaline/zinc batteries for recycling for a fee. Call for details.

Automotive and Boat Batteries

State law prohibits disposal of lead acid batteries in landfills or incinerators.  It requires that all vehicle battery retailers accept used lead-acid batteries at no charge from anyone purchasing a battery from them.

Safe Disposal Sites:

Allied Resource Recovery
1001 Tesch Ct., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 
(262) 574-0100

Aztak Recycling
8300 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53218 
(414) 466-2150

Batteries Plus Bulbs

Elite Energy Distribution
3545 N. 127th St., Brookfield, Wisconsin 53005
(414) 461-8216

Kohne Salvage
W200 S7203 Williams Dr., Muskego, Wisconsin 53150
(262) 679-1135

Kral Scrap Metal
W224S8575 Industrial Ave., Big Bend, Wisconsin 53103 
(262) 662-3215

Waukesha Iron & Metal
1351 E. Main St., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186
(262) 547-7293

Wear safety goggles and gloves when you pick up a battery. Carry it in a wooden box or a leak-proof container. 
If you drop a battery, neutralize any spilled acid with baking soda or lime.

Donation Options:

Recycling Options:

  • Paperback books are accepted in curbside recycling bin.
  • Hardcover books: Remove and throw away the covers then recycle the inside pages. 
  • Allied Resource Recovery (Accepts hardcover books)
  • Kard Recycling

Recycling Options

Disposal Options

Donation Options

Compostable Material & Food Scraps

Composting is a great, easy way to recycle:

  • leaves
  • grass clippings
  • yard trimmings
  • kitchen scraps at home

Add finished compost to the soil as a great organic plant food. 30% of garbage is food waste and is compostable.  Let's get started!

Unable to compost? Compost pickup service is available for a fee in select communities via BrewCity Compost. 

Disposal Option

City of Waukesha Drop-Off Center
(262) 524-3600
750 Sentry Dr., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 
Saturdays 8am-4pm
Wednesdays 11am-7pm (April-November)

Do not place in your curbside recycling or trash (even if empty)!

Disposal Options

Remove top and dispose of as scrap metal

Donation Options

Disposal Options

Lawn mowers, snow blowers, grills, etc.

Donation Options

Disposal Options

(oil, gas, propane, and other hazardous fluid/components must be removed)

LED, Incandescent, and Halogen Bulbs

These bulbs can be disposed of in the trash or taken to a Batteries Plus Bulbs store for recycling.

Fluorescent Tubes and Bulbs

Fluorescent tubes and bulbs contain mercury and cannot be placed in your trash or recycling bins.  

Disposal Options

Check with retail stores- Call to confirm with retailer. They change and update their policies or have policies that vary from store to store.

To learn more about fluorescent bulbs and mercury, check the Energy Star page. To clean up broken CFLs, click here. 

Holiday String Lights

Do not place string lights in your curbside recycling bin. 

Disposal Options

Plastic - Film and Bags

Not accepted in curbside recycling bins.

Return clean, dry plastic bags and "case wrap" to participating grocery or retail stores: 

• Pick n' Save
• Kohl's
• Walmart
• Meijer

Tip: Call ahead to confirm!

More info: What types of bags can be brought to a participating film disposal site?

 

Propane Tanks (Compressed Gas)

Never place in Curbside Recycling or Trash - even if empty!

Most retail stores that sell 20 LB tanks have a return/exchange program. Stores will normally take tanks from any manufacturer. Use these tanks instead of small, non-refillable tanks.

Non-refillable tanks are harder to get rid of. Check the manufacturer's tag for any contact or disposal information.

Safe Refill Sites For 20 LB Tanks:

Amerigas Retail Sites

Blue Rhino Retail Sites

Lake Gas Co. 
2200 Badger Ct., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53188 
(262) 542-3002

True Value Hardware Stores - varies by location

Check with other retailers. 


Safe Disposal Sites for all sizes of propane tanks:

Ferrellgas
1301 E Main St., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 
(262) 542-4461
W2550 Oak St., Ashippun, Wisconsin 53003 

City of Waukesha Drop-Off Center 
750 Sentry Dr., Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186 
Saturdays 8am-4pm
Wednesdays 11am-7pm (April-November)

Helium Tanks

We see questions on helium tanks in association with the red/pink BalloonTime tanks. Steps for disposing of these are:

  1. Completely open green valve by turning counterclockwise;
  2. Push down on nozzle until tank is empty (hissing sound will stop);
  3. Unscrew white valve nut and discard;
  4. Use hammer and flat head screwdriver to lift, peel back and throw away the small disc;
  5. Circle the open hole and write empty on the tank;
  6. Dispose of as scrap metal (not in a recycling bin/dumpster).

There is a video available on their website at: https://www.balloontime.com/resources/recycle-or-store/

Smoke Detectors & Carbon Monoxide Detectors

To throw away:

  1. Wrap your smoke detector in paper;
  2. Wrap in plastic;
  3. Throw into the trash.

Recycling options:

You can mail smoke alarms and smoke detectors back to the manufacturer:

  • Use either surface or UPS ground mail
  • mark "For Disposal” or
  • contact the companies below for instructions:

American Sensors
(also accepts North American Detectors, Inc., DICON, Garrison, and TEN-TEK brands)100 Tempo Ave., Unit 15 East, Toronto, ON Canada M2H3S5
(416) 493-3457 or (800) 387-4219 

Code One/Firex/Maple/Chase Products
2820 Thatcher Rd., Downers Grove, Illinois 60515

Curie Environmental Services
4020 Vassar Dr. NE, Suite D, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107
(505) 888-9392

Dicon
3334 Main St., Skokie, Illinois 60076

First Alert/BRK Brands
3901 Liberty Street, Aurora IL 60504 (800) 392-1395 or (800) 323-9005

Life Saver/Frynetics, Inc.
1055 Stevenson Ct., Suite 102W, Roselle, Illinois 60172

Safety’s Sake/Funtech
388 North Ellicot Creek Rd., Amherst, New York 14228
(800) 877-1250

Toy Take Back Program

Recycle your well-loved toys for free using one of these take back programs. These are brand specific programs. Check for other programs if you do not see your brand of toy. You can also donate to your local Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul

Lego Replay 

• Duplo
• Technic
• Minifigures
• Baseplates

Vtech and LeapFrog Toys 

Mattel PlayBack 

• Barbie
• Fisher-Price
• Matchbox
• Mega

Hasbro toy recycling 

• Nerf
• Play-Doh
• Playskool
• Tonka
• My Little Pony
• Furby
• Many More!

Trash

Call your hauler if you have excess trash or any trash-related questions.

Disposal Options

You can contact 2 privately-owned landfills if your hauler will not pick up your type of trash:

Each municipality in the county selects their own hauler for trash and recycling. They also select the service type.

Waukesha County does not provide any type of pickup service. Contact your city, town, or village for help with your service. 

Contact Us

515 W. Moreland Blvd.
Room AC260
Waukesha, WI 53188
262-896-8300
recycling@waukeshacounty.gov

Office hours of operation:
Monday - Friday
8:00am - 4:30pm

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