Special Waste - Residents

Benning Road Transfer Station Special Waste Residential Drop-Off

District residents can drop off many types of special waste at the Benning Road Transfer Station at no cost. To learn about hours, directions and more click here.

• Address: 3200 Benning Road NE, Washington, DC, 200019
• Hours: Every Saturday 7 am – 2 pm (except holidays) & Thursday preceding the first Saturday of the month (10 am - 2 pm).
• Document Shredding: available on the first Saturday of each month between 7 am - 2 pm.

Electronics

Covered electronic equipment is banned from trash.

• Drop off and recycle at the Benning Road Transfer Station.
• Find additional recycling options through the District's electronics stewardship program, eCYCLE DC. Note that only covered electronic equipment is accepted at these events. See eCYCLE DC for more information.

Batteries

• Drop off and recycle alkaline, lithium, rechargeable, and car batteries at the Fort Totten Transfer Station.
• Find additional drop-off locations for rechargeable batteries with Call2Recycle.
• To safely store all used rechargeable batteries, tape the batteries at the ends with clear packing, masking or electrical tape.

Textiles

The Sustainable DC (SDC) Textiles Reuse & Recovery Initiative provides local residents and visitors resources for decreasing the impact that their clothing (and other textiles) has on the environment.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

• HHW materials should NOT be put in trash or recycling bins.
• Safely dispose of HHW at the Fort Totten Transfer Station.
• Visit here for a list of accepted and prohibited HHW items at Fort Totten Transfer Station.

Paint

• Paint can be dropped off at the Fort Totten Transfer Station. 
• Additional drop-off options can be found on PaintCare’s website.

CFL Lamps

• Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs contain small amounts of mercury.
• Safely dispose of CFL bulbs at the Fort Totten Transfer Station.

Needles & Sharps

• At this time, the District does not have a needle disposal program.
• Here is a step-by-step guidance sheet on proper disposal of needles and sharps.

Prescription Drugs

• Do NOT flush or pour prescription drugs down the drain.
• Check the National Drug Take-Back Day for an upcoming event.
• Find permanent drug disposal sites using the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy’s locator or the US Department of Justice’s Controlled Substance Public Disposal Locator.
• If you cannot make it to a drop-off location or event, mix crushed pills or liquid with dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds, then put in the trash. Recycle empty bottle after removing personal information and label from the bottle.

Personal Documents Shredding

Residents may bring up to 5 medium-sized boxes of personal documents to the Fort Totten Transfer Station on the first Saturday of the month between 8 am – 3 pm.

Mattresses

• For safe disposal, mattresses must be wrapped in plastic for bulk collection.
• Call 311 to set up a bulk trash collection appointment.
• Place your bulk items out no earlier than 6:30 pm the day before or no later than 6 am on your appointment day.