Materials Not Accepted

Check with your local township.

Fluorescents use significantly less energy that incandescent bulbs, however, fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, and are classified as a hazardous waste. We do not accept any hazardous wastes.

Fluorescent light bulb disposal – Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection website for more information.

Recycling fluorescent light bulbs

Recycling prevents the release of mercury into the environment
Recycling CFLs and other fluorescent bulbs allow the reuse of glass, metals and other materials
Virtually all components of a fluorescent bulb may be recycled
Most states require recycling of fluorescent light bulbs

Car batteries are the most recycled products in the U.S., having a 99 % recycling rate. Accurate Metals will purchase your old car battery at either of our scrap yard locations in Lansdowne, PA or Darby, PA.

Battery Recycling –Accurate Metals will pay you for all car batteries. Stop in one of our scrap yards today!

Battery Disposal – Virtually all retailers of car batteries will properly dispose of your old battery for you.

Scrap tires are not treated as hazardous wastes. However, once a tire is burned, tires break down into hazardous compounds including gasses, heavy metals, and oils. Most states have passed scrap tire regulations requiring proper management.

Waste tires present environmental and health hazards. Recently, stagnant rainwater accumulating in old tires has been correlated to mosquitoes transmitting West Nile Virus. Tires are also flammable and can burn for weeks, causing them to decompose into oil which leaches into the ground.

Used tire recycling – Visit the PA Department of Environmental Protection

A solvent is a substance that dissolves a solute (a chemically different liquid, solid or gas), resulting in a solution. Solvents are hazardous wastes. We do not accept solvents with your trash. It is unlawful to dispose of solvents in trash containers.

Solvent Recycling – Many mechanic shops and gas stations will recycle solvents for you.

Solvent Disposal – Contact your local municipality for nearby hazardous waste disposal.

All radioactive materials are hazardous and unacceptable in your trash containers and dumpsters. It is highly unlawful to dispose of radioactive material improperly.

Radioactive materials disposal – Contact the Environmental Protection Agency or your local municipality or state environment office.

Propane tanks contain compressed gas, and are highly flammable and explosive under pressure. It is unlawful to dispose of a compressed gas tank with your trash. We do not accept them.

Propane Tank Disposal? Your local propane supplier will often accept old propane tanks for a fee. Some scrap yards will accept them if they are empty and the valve has been removed. Always call first.

Propane Tank Recycling – Feel free to contact Scully Welding Supply or Scully Propane Services at 610-586-8800.

Paint is often toxic to you and the environment, and it must be disposed of properly. It is unlawful to dispose of paint cans containing liquid paint.

Mix your unused paint with kitty litter to help solidify and stabilize your paint prior to disposal.

Why Mercury Thermostats are not accepted by Accurate – Thermostats are often classified as “mercury containing equipment” or a device or part of a device that contains elemental mercury integral to its function.
Mercury is a chemical element; the only metal that is liquid at standard conditions for temperature and pressure. Mercury is extremely toxic, can cause both chronic and acute poisoning and must be handled with care.

Your options for disposal of mercury thermostats:

• Your local municipality website containing information on mercury disposal
• US Environmental Protection Agency
• The Thermostat Recycling Corporation – https://www.thermostat-recycle.org/
• Earth911.com – offers local listings for recycling companies that also accept hazardous wastes

Accurate does not accept any medical waste currently. This is classified as a hazardous waste and must be properly disposed of with a hauler licensed to handle these materials.

Medical Waste contains biohazards such as needles, bodily fluids and tissues, and other materials unsafe for disposal in common landfills.

Liquids like cooking oils must be properly disposed of or recycled. Liquids cannot be disposed of in trash containers or dumpsters. Consult the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for more information: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/.

Some liquids that cannot be accepted:

• Fuel – gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene
• Paint
• Paint solvents
• Cooking oils
• Motor oil

Fuel oil is considered hazardous and is not acceptable waste in our containers.

Fuel Oil Disposal – Contact your township office or local hazardous waste facility.

Fuel Oil Recycling – Some gas stations and mechanic shops will accept fuel oil to be recycled.

No. These are a hazard to the truck, the driver, and the community near the truck. Never dispose of flammable materials in a trash container.

Flammable materials list:

• Gasoline
• Diesel
• Kerosene
• Paint thinner
• Paint
• Alcohol etc.

Containers such as propane tanks, and other sealed fuel tanks are not acceptable in our dumpsters or trash containers. The trash is packed under high pressure, which could rupture a propane tank causing an explosion. You must properly dispose of closed fuel tanks.

What you can do if you need to dispose of a closed container – contact your local township or hazardous materials accepting facility.

Actually asbestos can be disposed of in properly licensed landfills that accept asbestos and hazardous wastes. It is however, illegal to dispose of asbestos waste in domestic garbage bins. It is also illegal to recycle, re-use, or illegally dump asbestos products.

Visit the United States Environmental Protection Agency for more information.

Contact your local township or a company that is licensed to accept hazardous materials.

Asbestos is a set of naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their physical properties. It became popular among manufacturers and builders because of its resistance to fire, heat and chemical damage, average tensile strength and sound absorption. It was used for electrical and building insulation. Roofing products were manufactured with asbestos from the 1920’s to the 1980’s. Asbestos-containing materials can be found in nearly 80% of structures built prior to 1981.

However, asbestos was discovered as a very harmful substance. Asbestos contains microscopic fibers which float freely through the air when disturbed and are easily inhaled. Asbestos can cause a cancer known as mesothelioma. For years, many workers who inhaled asbestos were not aware of the hazards. Always consult a professional prior to beginning any construction project on all pre 1981 structures.

Historically, hazardous wastes were disposed of in regular landfills. This resulted in large amounts of hazardous materials seeping into the ground and water. Many landfills now require countermeasures against groundwater contamination, such as protective barriers that line the foundation of the landfill to contain the wastes from seeping into the ground. Hazardous wastes must be stabilized or solidified prior to entering a landfill.

Did you know? You can pour kitty litter in a can of paint to help solidify the paint, stabilizing it for proper disposal.

Hazardous materials recycling? Hazardous wastes can be recycled into new products. Electronics waste, or e-Waste is taking hold across the planet. It is the fastest growing waste stream in the world, currently. Many e-waste facilities are demanufacturing electronics, separating the metals and plastic, and recycling them.

What are hazardous materials?

Any waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. In the United States, the treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous waste is regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Hazardous wastes are materials that are known or tested to exhibit one or more of the following four hazardous traits:

1. Ignitability
2. Reactivity
3. Corrosivity
4. Toxicity

Some common hazardous wastes are:

• Paints and solvents
• Automotive wastes – oil, fuel, antifreeze
• Pesticides
• Mercury-containing wastes – thermostats, thermometers
• Electronics – computers, cellphones, televisions
• Aerosols
• Fuels – oil, gas, diesel, kerosene
• Ammunition
• Radioactive wastes

Certain materials are not acceptable to dispose of in our dumpsters or trash containers.

What materials are not accepted?

• All hazardous waste
• Asbestos shingles
• Scrap metals containing refrigerant (freon)
• Paint/solvent
• Oil
• Tires
• Batteries
• Electronics