Your household hazardous waste must be in your vehicle's bed, trunk, or hatchback - not the passenger compartment. Unloading may take a few extra minutes as extra safety measures will be in place. Please be patient, and please remain in your car.

The first Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event of the New Year will be held at the Columbia County Transfer Station on Saturday, February 25, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Transfer Station is located at 1601 Railroad Avenue in St. Helens. If you are a Columbia County resident, you can drop off various toxic and unsafe materials at no cost.

Items must be in containers not larger than five (5) gallons and should be secured safely during transport. Trained household hazardous waste technicians will unload materials from your vehicle. Examples of acceptable items:

• fireworks and flares 
• gas / diesel / fuels / motor oil / antifreeze
• lawn and garden chemicals 
• herbicides and pesticides 
• pool and spa chemicals 
• light ballasts—must be removed from light fixtures
• fluorescent tubes 
• art and hobby chemicals 
• solvents and thinners 
• items containing mercury 
• propane and compressed gas cylinders 
• batteries – all types and applications
• cleaners and detergents 
• poisons 
• paint and paint products (latex and acrylic paint, oil-based paint, enamel, stains, lacquers, shellacs, varnishes, primers, etc.)
• cooking oil
• medical sharps in OSHA-approved, puncture-proof containers
• ammunition

The Transfer Station’s normal disposal fees for automotive batteries, antifreeze, and fluorescent tubes are waived during HHW Collection events. Unwanted paint, used motor oil, and used cooking oil are always free to dispose of at the Transfer Station during regular business hours.

Medical sharps in a sealed, self-closing, puncture-proof, OSHA-approved container are received, at no cost, at the Transfer Station Scale House during business hours. Columbia County residents can enroll in the FREE Sharps Containers Exchange Program at the Transfer Station Scale House.

The Columbia County Sheriff's Office accepts expired or unwanted medication at 901 Port Ave., St. Helens. They are open 7 days per week, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Place items in the MedReturn collection box.

The county will host six more household hazardous waste events in 2023, the next three events are April 22^nd in Vernonia, May 20^th in Rainier, and June 10^th at the Transfer Station in St. Helens. Please check the Columbia County website for further updates https://www.columbiacountyor.gov/departments/SolidWaste/hhw-schedule

For more information, contact Jacob Anderson by phone at 503-397-7259 or by email at jacob.anderson@columbiacountyor.gov.

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ABOUT COLUMBIA COUNTY’S SOLID WASTE PROGRAM 

Columbia County plans, organizes, and directs recycling, reuse, waste reduction, and household hazardous waste management programs throughout its 657-square-mile area. The county also operates a transfer station in St. Helens and administers the solid waste collection events within the county's unincorporated areas.