Household Hazardous Waste in Arlington: Paint, Propane, Batteries and Chemicals
Paint, pool chemicals and the half-used propane cylinder are the part of a garage that cannot go on any truck. Arlington's route for most of it runs to Fort Worth, and it costs nothing.
Call (682) 226-7611
The short answer
In Arlington, TX, paint, household cleaners, oils, pesticides and batteries count as household hazardous waste and stay off the curb. Residents drop them free at the Environmental Collection Center in Fort Worth, 6400 Bridge Street, showing a license or water bill, roughly once a month, or at a periodic city event. Junk haulers, Junk Koala Arlington included, cannot take them.
- Drop-off
- Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center, 6400 Bridge Street
- Proof needed
- Driver's license (preferred) or water bill; no voucher
- How often
- The city asks residents to keep visits to once a month
- Not taken there
- Propane and butane cylinders, medicines, tires, electronics and appliances
What counts as household hazardous waste in Arlington
The city's definition is leftover household products with corrosive, toxic, ignitable, reactive or otherwise hazardous ingredients. In a typical Arlington garage that means paint and stain, thinners, motor oil and other automotive fluids, gasoline, pesticides and weedkiller, pool chemicals, strong cleaners, some light bulbs, and batteries.
None of it belongs in the cart or the bulky pile. The curbside rules shut out every liquid and every hazardous product, and the Arlington Landfill refuses liquids, paint, chemicals and batteries too. That leaves two free routes, both run for households rather than businesses.
Two free routes: the Fort Worth ECC and Arlington's own events
Arlington is one of the cities whose residents can use Fort Worth's Environmental Collection Center, usually shortened to the ECC, at 6400 Bridge Street in Fort Worth, and they pay nothing to use it. Nobody needs a voucher; proof of residency is a current license, which Fort Worth prefers, or a water bill. Arlington asks residents to limit themselves to one visit a month, and anything from a business or a contractor is turned away.
As listed on Fort Worth's page in November 2026, the ECC opens Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is closed Sunday through Wednesday. Hours do change, so check the page before the drive across.
The quantity limits in the table below matter more than people expect on a big clear-out. A garage that has collected paint through several owners can hold more than one visit's worth, and with the city asking for no more than one trip a month, the sensible plan is to split the load: the oldest and leakiest containers on the first run, the rest the following month or at a city event.
The second route is closer to home. Arlington holds periodic household hazardous waste collection events at city parks, first come, first served, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. or until the trailer is full. They are canceled in bad weather, and the schedule lives on the city's Recycling and Sustainability Programs page. Turn up early, because the trailer is the limit.
What the ECC takes, and the quantity limits it lists
Limits as Fort Worth's ECC page listed them in November 2026; they can change between visits.
| Material | Limit listed |
|---|---|
| Paint and painting supplies | 30 gallons |
| Lawn, garden and pool chemicals | 20 gallons |
| Automotive fluids | 10 gallons |
| Cleaning chemicals | 10 gallons |
| Cooking oil | 10 gallons |
| Light bulbs | 20 bulbs |
| Batteries | Accepted; check the page for any current limit |
Propane, medicines and the other exceptions
Propane is where people get stuck. Fort Worth's hazardous waste page lists butane and propane cylinders among the things the ECC does not accept, and Arlington's own pages do not name another route. Before you load a grill cylinder or a box of camping canisters, ask the business that sold or refills them, or ask the city, rather than assuming anyone will take them at the gate.
The same do-not-accept list covers ammunition and explosives, appliances and electronics, building materials, bulk trash and yard waste, medicines and medical waste, tires, and asbestos, PCBs and radioactive items. Electronics have a free route of their own at the landfill's convenience center. Batteries do not, because the landfill refuses them, so they go to the ECC or to one of the city's electronics events.
Why no junk hauler can take it, this one included
Junk Koala Arlington does not handle hazardous waste. Wet paint, fuel, propane, solvents, pool and garden chemicals, and cooking oil or grease all stay behind. The same holds for any general hauler: the truck is not a hazardous materials vehicle, and nothing on its route is a hazardous waste facility. If a hauler offers to throw the pool chemicals in with the sofa, ask where they end up.
Dried paint is the partial exception. Latex paint that has set solid in an open can is no longer a liquid, and the crew will usually take it; anything still wet goes to the ECC. If you are not sure, leave the can with the chemicals and ask on the day.
Staging hazardous material before a garage cleanout
Do this a few days before the crew arrives, so the cleanout and the Fort Worth trip do not fight over the same Saturday.
- 1
Sweep the shelves with a sturdy box
Pull every can, jug, bottle and cylinder into one place: paint, stain, thinner, oil, antifreeze, fuel, pesticides, pool chemicals, cleaners, batteries and propane.
- 2
Check every lid and keep the labels
Anything leaking or rusted goes into a lidded plastic tub. Keep products in their original containers, and never pour leftovers together to save space.
- 3
Sort by where it is going
ECC items in one group, propane cylinders in another, solid-dried latex cans set aside to show the crew, and electronics left with the rest of the junk.
- 4
Move the group out of the work area
A shaded spot outside the garage, out of reach of children and pets, clearly marked so nobody loads it by mistake.
- 5
Tell the crew when you book
Mention the marked area, then plan the ECC run for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, when it is open.
The rest of the garage can go in one visit
Once the chemicals are set aside, the furniture, boxes, shelving and old tools go in one booked window. Half a truck costs $419 by the Junk Koala price book, before sales tax.
FAQ
Related questions
- Can I throw old paint in the trash in Arlington?
- No, not wet paint. Arlington's curbside crews leave paint and every other hazardous product behind, and the landfill will not accept it either. It goes, free, to the ECC on Bridge Street in Fort Worth or to one of the city's collection events.
- Do Arlington residents have to pay to use the Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center?
- No. Arlington residents use it at no cost, and no voucher is needed. Show your driver's license or a water bill at the gate, and plan on one visit a month at most.
- Where can I get rid of a propane tank in Arlington?
- Ask the business that sold or refills it, or the city, before taking it anywhere. The Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center lists propane and butane cylinders among the items it does not accept, and Arlington's pages do not name another route. Junk haulers cannot carry propane.
- Will a junk removal company take paint cans and chemicals?
- No, not wet paint or chemicals. Junk Koala Arlington and other general haulers cannot carry hazardous waste, so it goes to the ECC or a city event. Latex paint that has dried solid in an open can is usually fine to leave with the rest of the load.
- Where do I recycle batteries in Arlington?
- At Fort Worth's ECC or at one of Arlington's electronics recycling events. The landfill turns batteries away, and curbside crews will not take them either.
Sources
- City of Arlington, TX - Recycling and Sustainability Programs — checked
- City of Fort Worth - Environmental Collection Center Participating Cities — checked
- City of Fort Worth - Environmental Collection Center — checked
- City of Fort Worth - Household Hazardous Waste — checked
- City of Arlington, TX - Residential Curbside Collections — checked
- City of Arlington, TX - Arlington Landfill — checked
Ready when you are
You point. We haul. That is the whole arrangement.
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Or call (682) 226-7611
The Arlington branch
Junk Koala Arlington
1140 W Pioneer Pkwy, Ste 1144E
Arlington, TX 76013