For details about the household hazardous waste collection, backyard composting, and information about buying a backyard compost bin, click here to read and/or print out a Cavendish-specific 2022 newsletter.
Residents can bring their recycling and trash to the Cavendish Transfer Station and Recycling Facility at 354 Route 131. Or residents can contract with a private hauler for trash removal and recycling services.
Hours of operation:
Wednesday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Contact: 226-7743 or 226-7289
Trash – Coupon System
$1.50 for one kitchen bag; $3.00 for one 30-gallon bag
Coupons available for sale at: Cavendish Town Offices and Singleton’s Store
Food Scraps – free of charge
Empty your food scraps into one of the toters. What is acceptable? – meat and bones, milk, cheese, dairy, fruit and vegetables, condiments and dressings, coffee grounds, filters, seafood and shells, fats, oils, spices, soups (please strain) “If it Grows, it goes!”
NOT acceptable: all paper products, bioplastics (PLA/PHA), condiment packets, straws/containers, rubber bands, twist ties, PLU stickers (Price Look-Up codes on fresh produce), packaging/recyclables, dishware/silverware, florist flowers (may contain chemical fungicides)
Recycling -Single-stream System – FREE
The following recyclables go altogether in the blue recycling compactor:
- glass food and drink bottles (rinsed clean)
- tins cans and steel containers (emptied of food and rinsed clean – labels OK)
- aluminum cans (rinsed clean, labels OK)
- aluminum foil (including clean foil pie plates and foil baking dishes)
- clean and dry paper goods:
- paper, paper bags, paper file folders, manila envelopes, art construction paper, Kraft paper and cards
- non-metallic wrapping paper and tissue paper
- cardboard boxes (not waxed or with stuck-on food or grease)
- paper egg cartons, soda and beer cartons
- corrugated cardboard
- boxboard or paperboard (ex., cereal, cracker boxes, shoe boxes, gift boxes, etc.)
- empty paper envelopes (windowed envelopes are OK)
- magazines, glossy brochures and catalogs (without plastic wrapping)
- paperback books
- phone books
- newspapers – inserts OK – loose, not tied into bundles and not contaminated with oil, pet waste, paint, etc.
- shredded paper (place in clear plastic bags and tie shut)
- cardboard rollers (toilet paper, paper towel, and gift paper rollers, etc.)
- clean and empty plastic:
- all types of rigid plastic
- plastics 1-7 (but NOT Styrofoam)
- plastic bottles
- plastic jugs, cups, and containers
- plastic pails
- plastic flower pots and planting trays
- plastic frozen food trays (at least 2″ long on 2 sides)
- plastic take-out containers (clean)
Please, do not place the following items in the blue recycling compactor:
- light bulbs, Pyrex, blue-colored glass, window glass or mirrors, china, ceramics, or clay flower pots, drinking glasses, mugs, or crystal
- hazardous waste (such as paint automotive sprays, oil filters, medical waste, etc)
- scrap metal (goes in the metal pile)
- Styrofoam cups or Styrofoam trays
- bubble-wrap padded mailers, foam packaging or Styrofoam peanuts
- Tyvek or plastic envelopes,plastic wrapping, CDs,DVDs or shredded plastic
- plastic bags and plastic sheeting
- string or rope
- used tissues or paper towels
- disposable diapers
- stickers or sticker backing sheets
- pressure-sensitive duplication forms
- hard back books
Please see the attendant if you are unsure of what to do with the items listed in red above.
We do accept clean, bagged Styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap. Please make sure that the materials are in sealed bags or boxes so that the wind doesn’t catch and send them flying around the Transfer Station. Residents who are shipping items reuse the packing materials.
You can bring in, free of charge: (Ask the attendant where to place each material.)
- Untreated Wood Waste
- Scrap Metal
- Propane Tanks
- Fluorescent Bulbs and Tubes
- AA, AAA, C, D, 9v, hearing aid, coin cell, button, and rechargeable Batteries (ex., tool)
- Computers, Monitors, Peripherals, Printers, Televisions
- Uncoated, Natural Wood Pallets
- Mercury Thermostats* and Switches with Mercury
*Ask for $5 rebate coupon
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Effective January 1, 2007 it is illegal to use a lead sinker which weighs one-half ounce or less to fish in Vermont. Bring sinkers to the Recycling Center.
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The Recycling Center also takes the following: (Complete fee schedule available at Town Offices and Transfer Station – fees subject to change):
- Refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, freezers – fee for Freon removal
- Tires: fee depends on size, and with rim or without rim
- Electronics: radios, microwaves, VCRs
- Construction and Demolition, Gypsum, Land-clearing Debris, Painted or Stained Pallets, Salvage/Used Building Material: $40/cubic yard
Batteries
Button batteries (in hearing aids, watches, calculators, cameras, etc.) and all fluorescent bulbs (full-size and compact) contain mercury and must be recycled. FREE button battery and fluorescent bulb recycling is available at the transfer station. Rechargeables are recyclable. Rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, remote control toys, and portable household appliances. When the batteries can no longer hold a charge, bring them to the Recycling Center. We recycle alkaline (AA, AAA, C, D, 9v) batteries, too.
Paint
Empty and dry metal paint cans (covers removed) go into the scrap metal pile. Latex, as well as oil-based paint, is now accepted at the District’s annual household hazardous waste collections. In addition, several retailers in the District accept paint year-round at the following locations:
- Aubuchon Hardware in Ludlow
- LaValley Building Supply in Ludlow
- Bibens Home Center in Springfield
- Sherwin-Williams in Springfield
- Aubuchon Hardware in Windsor
These retailers can only accept paint in labeled, non-rusty cans. Bring all other cans to the household hazardous waste collections.
Open Burning
Cavendish has an open burning ordinance and with good reason. Decades ago, most trash consisted of only paper, cardboard, and glass. Today, however, manufacturers use a host of synthetics in packaging, most of which release carcinogenic toxins into the air and soil when burned. Please do your part to protect Vermont’s public and environmental health from toxins; talk to your neighbors about the dangers associated with burning trash.
Extra Stuff
Buy and sell used business materials at great prices by visiting the Reuse Marketplace. This is a free service that seeks to reduce waste by promoting the exchange of reusable commercial materials.
Compost Bins
Tired of paying to dispose of all of your kitchen scraps? Compost them in your own backyard. Each spring, through the Solid Waste District, you can purchase a compost bin and how-to guide at less than half of the retail price. Need another incentive? Organics rotting in landfills add to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Call 674-9235 for more info. As of July 1, 2020, all Vermont residents will have to divert food scraps from their trash by either composting in their backyards, bringing the food scraps to the Transfer Station, or paying a hauler to take them away.
Cell Phones
Drop off old cell phones and used inkjet printer cartridges at the Town Offices. The TO will pass them on to the school for its fundraising program.
Glasses
The Chester Lions Club has a small box at the Cavendish Post Office for collecting used eyeglasses and sunglasses.
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To receive less national advertising mail, the Direct Mail Association has a program called DMAchoice. To register, click on “Get Started.”
The organization will charge $1.00 to place your name and home address in a “do-not-mail” file for three years.
Catalog Choice is a great way to cut down on unwanted catalogs that show up in your mailbox. Click on www.catalogchoice.org to find out more information.
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Household Hazardous Waste
Your solid waste district sponsors FREE collections and safe disposal of HHW at various locations throughout the District. Residents and businesses from all member towns may participate. Businesses will be charged a fee and must pre-register. Pre-registration not required for residents. Call 674-9235 for more information.
What to bring: Most substances with labels that say: Caustic, Toxic, Corrosive, Poison, Flammable, Warning
From the Garden/Yard/House: insecticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, rodent killer, metal polish, pool chemicals, photography chemicals, flea powder, no-pest strips, toilet & drain cleaner, oven cleaner, mothballs, lighter fluid, bathroom cleaners, chemistry sets, arts & crafts supplies, bleaches, mercury thermometers & thermostats, rug cleaner
From the Garage/Workbench: antifreeze, brake fluid, gasoline, transmission fluid, engine & radiator flusher, engine degreaser, carburetor cleaner, gas treatments, Xenon halogen headlight bulbs (blue-tinted), plastic fuel filters, rust proofers, wood preservatives, sealants, solvents, creosote, roofing tar, driveway sealer, muriatic acid, varnish, paint thinner, wood strippers and stains, and latex, lead- and oil-based paints. Properly drained metal fuel filters can be recycled with scrap metal.
DO NOT BRING: dry creosote, batteries, used motor oil, asbestos, radioactive material, empty containers, fireworks, tires, fluorescent bulbs or tubes, medical waste, or ammunition.