The average cost of hazardous waste disposal is around $242, and most homeowners pay somewhere between $133 and $373 for the service, depending on the materials and quantity.
Hazardous waste disposal costs an average of $242, but prices can range from $60 up to $700 or even higher depending on what you need to dispose of and how much you have.
While disposal fees can get expensive, it’s a good idea to rely on a professional to ensure safe transportation and legal disposal of the waste. In this guide, we’ll discuss hazardous waste disposal costs and some factors that can influence the total.
You’ll likely pay somewhere between $133 and $373 to dispose of hazardous waste, but there are quite a few things that can affect where your total falls.
The most significant factor affecting the cost of hazardous waste disposal is the amount of waste you need to get rid of. Most waste removal companies charge by the material you need to remove and the quantity by weight.
If you just have a few old paint cans and containers of household cleaning chemicals lying around, you’ll pay significantly less than if you have an entire truckload of material built up over the years.
The type of material you’re disposing of plays a big role in the cost per pound, but in most cases, prices will range from $0.10 per pound in some cases for things like lead-acid batteries all the way up to $10 per pound for things like mercury thermometers and thermostats.
The table below includes the dumping fees only. Keep in mind that you’ll still often pay a flat fee for the transportation.
| Weight (lbs.) | Cost Range |
|---|---|
| 1 | $0.10–$10 |
| 2 | $0.20–$20 |
| 3 | $0.30–$30 |
| 4 | $0.40–$40 |
| 5 | $0.50–$50 |
| 10 | $1–$100 |
| 15 | $1.50–$150 |
| 20 | $2–$200 |
| 50 | $5 – $500 |
As you can see in the table above, your dumping fees—the price you pay for the safe disposal of your hazardous waste—depend largely on the material you’re getting rid of. You could pay around 100 times more to dump certain materials—like removing mercury-containing devices—on a per-pound basis than you would for others—like disposing of aerosol cans.
The table below includes some average price ranges for different hazardous materials. Again, these prices don’t include the transportation fees and will only cover the actual disposal of the waste.
| Material | Disposal Cost |
|---|---|
| Automotive liquids | $0.80–$2.50/gallon |
| Batteries | $0.10–$10.25/lb. |
| Electronics | $0.80–$1.50/lb. |
| Fire extinguishers | $8–$12 each |
| Gasoline/fuel | $0.80–$3/lb. |
| General | $1.50/lb. |
| Household cleaners | $4.00/lb. |
| Lightbulbs (non-UV) | $1–$2 ea |
| Mercury | $7.50–$11/lb. |
| Motor oil | $0.80–$1.50/lb. |
| Paints | $0.80–$3/lb. |
| Pesticide/fertilizer | $2.25–$4/lb. |
| Pool chemicals | $4/lb. |
| Solvents | $0.80–$4/lb. |
On top of the charges for dumping the hazardous waste, you’ll also need to pay for transportation fees if you’re having a professional waste removal company pick up the hazardous material at your home and bring it to the proper disposal facility.
In most cases, you can expect to pay between $75 and $200 for the transportation fees, but you could pay much more than that if you have a lot of hazardous waste you need to get rid of. Prices could go up to $500 or more for loading and transportation.
If you’re hiring a professional to come to your home, pick up the hazardous waste materials, and haul them to the disposal facility for you, it’s a nice gesture to tip the technicians. This is especially a good idea if the professionals need to collect and haul away individual components, like multiple paint cans and containers of lawn or pool chemicals.
Consider budgeting between $10 and $30 per professional, depending on how pleased you are with their work.
If you have a local hazardous waste disposal program and you don’t mind transporting the waste yourself, you can often get rid of your materials at no cost. That means you’ll save an average of $242 over hiring a professional. Many communities have these programs set up in an effort to reduce the risk of the materials being dumped improperly, so you can search for programs near you to keep costs down.
With that being said, hazardous waste disposal is, of course, inherently dangerous. Transporting some materials like asbestos shingles, old batteries, and pesticides poses a risk to your health, and transporting them in your own vehicle may not be a good idea. If your materials are particularly dangerous, it’s worth hiring a professional garbage removal service near you to handle the disposal for you.
On the other hand, if you’re just getting rid of old electronics, sealed paint cans, or pool chemicals in closed containers, transporting your waste to a local disposal facility is a good way to save money if you have the time.
It’s not advised to place hazardous waste materials in your dumpster without first consulting your dumpster rental company. If these items make their way to the landfill, they (in most circumstances) will be returned to you, and you will face a fine of up to $500.
When you’re disposing of hazardous waste, you might need to consider additional services to protect yourself and your home or to finish cleaning out that crowded storage area. Below are some common add-ons you might need, along with some average prices.
Biohazard cleanup: Depending on the hazardous waste you’re removing, you might also need to opt for biohazard cleanup after the fact to ensure none of the hazardous waste remains in your home. This service can cost between $3,000 and $5,000.
Soil testing: If your hazardous waste includes home heating oil from an outside tank—especially a buried one—or you’re concerned that liquid waste may have gotten into your soil, a soil test might be a good idea. Soil testing costs around $1,400, on average.
General waste removal: Once you’ve disposed of that motor oil or collection of old paint cans, you might want to finish clearing out the area where you were storing your hazardous waste. Most hazardous waste disposal companies won’t also take general waste, so you’ll need to hire another company to complete the job. Junk removal costs around $240, on average, and usually falls between $150 and $350.
Professional cleaning services: Professional cleaning services cost between $115 and $235 in most cases, and they can ensure the space where you removed the hazardous waste looks clean and tidy afterward.
Hazardous waste disposal costs often aren’t outlandish, but they can climb up to around $700 or more, depending on the material you’re removing. There are a few ways to save money in the process.
Check for local disposal programs. Many cities have local disposal programs for hazardous waste, which sometimes don’t require you to pay any dumping fees. There might be limitations on what you can bring and the quantities of each material you can dispose of, but you might be able to get rid of most of your hazardous waste at no cost.
DIY if it’s safe. Even if you don’t have a local hazardous waste disposal program available, you should be able to find a local disposal facility where you can pay to dump hazardous materials. You’ll pay dumping fees—often based on the specific materials you’re dumping—but you’ll avoid the $75 to $200 transportation fee you’d pay a professional. Just bear in mind that while it’s usually safe to dispose of gasoline, motor oil, and closed containers of pool chemicals, you should still leave the disposal of especially dangerous materials like mercury to a pro.
Always dispose of hazardous waste properly. It might be tempting to ditch paint cans, containers of pool chemicals, and fertilizer in your regular trash or in a dumpster to save on hazardous waste disposal costs, but you should avoid this. Not only is it potentially bad for the environment, but you could face fines of up to around $500 for illegal dumping.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), hazardous waste is any material that could have a negative effect on human health or the environment if disposed of improperly. Some common examples include paints, solvents, gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, thermometers or thermostats containing mercury, batteries, lightbulbs, household cleaners, pesticides, fertilizers, and pool chemicals.
The most affordable way to dispose of hazardous waste is to find a local disposal program that accepts hazardous materials with no dumping fees. These programs are available in many communities and are funded by local governments. If you can transport your hazardous materials to the dumping site, you can often get rid of everything at no cost.
The best disposal method for hazardous waste is to take it to a professional dumping facility that specializes in and accepts hazardous materials. These facilities will dispose of the materials in a way that is safe for both humans and the environment. If you don’t have access to a nearby facility, the best way to get rid of hazardous waste is to call a professional garbage removal company who handles disposing hazardous materials.
