Can you recycle aerosol cans?
What each state's own agency says about aerosol cans: the page it was read from, the date it was read, and where that state takes it.
Trash
Recycle
Special drop-off
Whether it's trash, recycling, or a special drop-off depends on your state — find yours in the table below.
Aerosol containers may explode under heat or pressure, spreading the hazardous contents and metal throughout the area — never heat or crush them (New York State DEC).
The federal baseline
EPA excludes waste from normal household activities — routine house and yard maintenance — from the federal definition of hazardous waste, so the half-used spray can in your garage is not federally regulated hazardous waste. EPA still says household hazardous products should be kept out of the drain, off the ground, out of storm sewers "and in some cases" out of the regular trash, and warns: "Never mix HHW with other products. Incompatible products might react, ignite, or explode." EPA added aerosol cans to its universal waste regulations in 2019 (84 FR 67202), but those rules cover businesses and other handlers, not households. What you may do with a can, and where it is taken, is set by your state and your county.
Read from EPA.
What happens to it
- An empty can goes out as scrap metal — Delaware DNREC tells households to recycle their empty aerosol cans.
- A can with product still in it goes to a household hazardous waste collection, where it is handled under the universal waste rule.
- Handlers either keep the can intact or puncture it with a device built to empty it of product and capture all released propellant.
- The liquid drained out of the can is collected and managed as hazardous waste.
- The drained, depressurized can is then recycled as scrap metal.
Steps read from Delaware DNREC.
All 50 states
One row per state, with the sentence its agency page states, the page itself, the date it was read, and where that state says to take it. A state whose name links has a page of its own; for the rest, this row is everything that state says.
| State | Verdict | The rule | Source | Where to take it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No statewide rule | Alabama has no statewide aerosol can rule — ADEM says most communities have no household hazardous waste collection site, and that leftovers may go in your regular trash only if you follow the instructions on the product's label. | Alabama Department of Environmental Management checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Alaska | No statewide rule | Alaska has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEC's "How do I dispose of..." list doesn't cover aerosol cans, and its hazardous waste entry sends you to US EPA; ask your borough, city landfill, or local collection what it takes. | Alaska DEC checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Arizona | No statewide rule | Arizona has no statewide aerosol can rule — ADEQ does not offer household hazardous waste collection and says to contact your town, city or county agency; some run drop-off days or permanent HHW collection at ADEQ-approved transfer stations. | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Arkansas | No statewide rule | Arkansas has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ's household hazardous waste collection centers take household quantities of paint, solvents, cleaners, pesticides and batteries; ask your center whether aerosol cans are on its list. | Arkansas DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| California | Special drop-off | California keeps nonempty aerosol cans out of the trash — CalRecycle says it is illegal to dispose of hazardous waste in the garbage and lists nonempty aerosol paint and solvent cans, and nonempty cans holding hazardous materials, among items banned from the trash. | CalRecycle checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Colorado | No statewide rule | Colorado has no statewide aerosol can rule — CDPHE calls a household hazardous waste collection program the preferred choice for household chemical disposal and treats preparing products for the trash as a last resort; check what your county or city runs. | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Connecticut | Special drop-off | Connecticut DEEP says an aerosol can holding paint or toxic material — the can and its contents — goes to a household hazardous waste collection event or facility; some communities now collect non-hazardous cans with bottles and cans, so ask your recycling coordinator. | Connecticut DEEP checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| Delaware | Special drop-off | Delaware DNREC tells households to recycle their empty aerosol cans, and to take unused or partially full cans to a Delaware Solid Waste Authority household hazardous waste collection event. | Delaware DNREC checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| Florida | No statewide rule | Florida has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEP says every county in Florida runs a household hazardous waste program, with permanent collection facilities, collection events, and a few curbside collections; check your county's schedule. | Florida DEP checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Georgia | No statewide rule | Georgia has no statewide aerosol can rule — EPD says household hazardous items can legally go in the garbage as solids only, because garbage trucks are not allowed to pick up liquid waste. | Georgia EPD checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Hawaii | Special drop-off | Hawaii's Department of Health says aerosol cans are hazardous until they are completely empty, so it is best to use up the product or give it to someone who will — an empty can may be disposed in the rubbish. | Hawaii Department of Health checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Idaho | No statewide rule | Idaho has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ lists aerosols among common household hazardous wastes, which are exempt from hazardous waste regulations, and says to contact your county, public health district, or local landfill about collection events. | Idaho DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Illinois | No statewide rule | Illinois has no statewide aerosol can rule — Illinois EPA's one-day household hazardous waste collections accept aerosol paints and pesticides, but not latex paint, propane tanks or fire extinguishers. | Illinois EPA checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| Indiana | No statewide rule | Indiana has no statewide aerosol can rule — IDEM says waste from households is not regulated as hazardous waste under federal or Indiana law but is still solid waste; your local solid waste management district runs the collection programs. | Indiana Department of Environmental Management checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Iowa | Special drop-off | Iowa DNR says empty aerosol cans may be placed in the garbage, and aerosol cans that contain hazardous products go to your local Regional Collection Center for disposal. | Iowa DNR checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| Kansas | No statewide rule | Kansas has no statewide aerosol can rule — KDHE says aerosol cans used in household applications are not regulated, and encourages homeowners with non-empty cans of paint, pesticides or cleaners to use their local household hazardous waste facility. | Kansas Department of Health and Environment checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Kentucky | No statewide rule | Kentucky has no statewide aerosol can rule — the Energy and Environment Cabinet's Recycling and Local Assistance Branch supports local governments with household hazardous waste management; ask your county solid waste coordinator what is collected. | Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Louisiana | No statewide rule | Louisiana has no statewide aerosol can rule — LDEQ's household hazardous waste guide covers storage and safe handling of leftover household chemicals but does not cover aerosol cans; parish programs differ, so ask yours what it collects. | Louisiana DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Maine | No statewide rule | Maine has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEP notes the state's paint program does not accept aerosol containers, and points households to two collection sites open to all Maine residents (Lewiston and Portland) plus town one-day collection events. | Maine DEP checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Maryland | No statewide rule | Maryland has no statewide aerosol can rule — MDE says federal law allows household hazardous waste in household trash but recommends taking it to a county HHW collection program instead; the page links each county's program. | Maryland Department of the Environment checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Massachusetts | No statewide rule | Massachusetts has no statewide aerosol can rule — MassDEP lists the collection facilities it has approved to take household items containing toxic chemicals, and says to contact your community's recycling or solid waste coordinator for local collection days. | Massachusetts DEP checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Michigan | No statewide rule | Michigan has no statewide aerosol can rule — EGLE lists aerosol cans as household hazardous waste and says it is best to take them to a local collection; if none is available, ask your trash hauler for special instructions. | Michigan EGLE checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Minnesota | Special drop-off | Minnesota's MPCA lists aerosol products as household hazardous waste — empty containers may go in the trash, and anything with product left goes to your county's collection site; every Minnesota county administers a household hazardous waste program. | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Mississippi | No statewide rule | Mississippi has no statewide aerosol can rule — MDEQ's household guide says to use up the product, then recycle the empty can with steel cans or at a scrap yard or put it in household trash; take what you can't use to a collection program if one is held in your area. | Mississippi DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Missouri | No statewide rule | Missouri has no statewide household aerosol can rule — the Department of Natural Resources' aerosol can fact sheet is written for businesses and says only that household aerosol cans are exempt from hazardous waste regulation; ask your regional household hazardous waste facility what it takes. | Missouri DNR checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| Montana | No statewide rule | Montana has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ says some communities run permanent household hazardous waste collection and others hold occasional events, while many cannot afford either; contact your county solid waste management office. | Montana DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Nebraska | No statewide rule | Nebraska has no statewide aerosol can rule — NDEE says household hazardous waste is exempt from Title 128, the state's hazardous waste regulations, and is treated as solid waste; community collection facilities and events take it where they exist. | Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Nevada | No statewide rule | Nevada has no statewide aerosol can rule — NDEP's county listings show Elko's single-stream service collecting empty aerosol cans, while Boulder City's landfill takes cans with leftover paint, pesticide or oven cleaner; services differ by county. | Nevada Division of Environmental Protection checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| New Hampshire | No statewide rule | New Hampshire has no statewide aerosol can rule — NHDES's Household Hazardous Waste Program helps municipalities fund HHW collection events across the state; use its HHW collection contact list to find yours. | New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| New Jersey | No statewide rule | New Jersey has no statewide aerosol can rule on reachable NJDEP pages — household hazardous waste collection runs county by county; check your county program's schedule. | New Jersey DEP checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| New Mexico | No statewide rule | New Mexico has no statewide aerosol can rule — the Environment Department's Hazardous Waste Bureau keeps a county-by-county list of household hazardous waste collection sites for residential, non-commercial waste; check yours. | New Mexico Environment Department checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| New York | Special drop-off | New York State DEC says an empty aerosol container can be safely discarded with other household trash or recycled in some communities — but a container you cannot fully empty, or one holding hazardous material, should be stored until a household hazardous waste collection program is held in your area. | New York State DEC checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| North Carolina | No statewide rule | North Carolina has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ counts personal care products such as hair spray among household hazardous waste and says HHW can be reused and recycled when brought to a collection center; many counties have permanent centers. | North Carolina DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| North Dakota | No statewide rule | North Dakota has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ tells residents to use products up, keep labels intact, and take household hazardous waste to a local collection program if one is available; Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and West Fargo run them. | North Dakota DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Ohio | No statewide rule | Ohio has no statewide aerosol can rule — Ohio EPA says never to recycle or dispose of an aerosol can unless it is empty, notes many household recycling opportunities accept empty cans, and leaves household hazardous waste to your county district. | Ohio EPA checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Oklahoma | No statewide rule | Oklahoma has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ says household hazardous waste facilities give leftovers a safe place to go, warns that even empty containers can hold residual chemicals, and lists the Norman, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Midwest City facilities. | Oklahoma DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Oregon | No statewide rule | Oregon has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ says not to put household toxic trash down the sink, on the ground, down a storm drain or in your garbage can, and to take unwanted products to a hazardous waste collection site; it lists HHW services by county. | Oregon DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Pennsylvania | No statewide rule | Pennsylvania has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEP urges residents to use county and municipal collection programs, and says leftover household hazardous materials may go in the trash only as a last resort, with no freestanding liquids and in small quantities. | Pennsylvania DEP checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Rhode Island | Special drop-off | Rhode Island DEM says anything labeled "contents under pressure" is household hazardous waste and must NOT be thrown in with your trash — aerosol cans such as spray paint and hair spray are taken free at RIRRC's Eco-Depot collections. | Rhode Island DEM checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| South Carolina | No statewide rule | South Carolina has no statewide aerosol can rule — SCDES's recycling answers don't cover aerosol cans and route household hazardous waste to county programs and single-day collection events; use RecycleHereSC to see what your community takes. | South Carolina Department of Environmental Services checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| South Dakota | No statewide rule | South Dakota has no statewide aerosol can rule — DANR's waste management program regulates the state's solid and hazardous waste facilities but publishes no household aerosol guidance; ask your city or county landfill what it accepts. | South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Tennessee | Special drop-off | Tennessee's household hazardous waste mobile collections accept aerosols and compressed gas — TDEC schedules events across the state each spring and fall, and no longer takes paint, alkaline batteries or electronics at them. | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Texas | No statewide rule | Texas has no statewide aerosol can rule — TCEQ says materials from a household are not required to be handled as hazardous waste and can often be placed in your regular trash; many Texas communities also run HHW drop-offs and collection events. | Texas Commission on Environmental Quality checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Utah | No statewide rule | Utah has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ describes household hazardous waste as corrosive, toxic or flammable products that can react or explode, and says Salt Lake, Weber and Morgan counties run disposal programs while other counties go through the local health department. | Utah DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Vermont | Special drop-off | Vermont's Paint Product Stewardship Program now covers aerosol coating products — Act 59 of 2025 added them, and DEC says the expanded PaintCare collection begins six months after the state approves the new stewardship plan, which producers must file by July 1, 2026. | Vermont DEC checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Virginia | No statewide rule | Virginia has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ says most special wastes shouldn't be thrown out with the regular trash and that household hazardous waste is collected at county landfills, transfer stations and local collection days; check with your Public Works office. | Virginia DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Washington | No statewide rule | Washington has no statewide household aerosol can rule — Ecology's aerosol can page is dangerous-waste guidance for businesses and sends households to the state recycling hotline instead; ask your county moderate risk waste program what it takes. | Washington Department of Ecology checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| West Virginia | No statewide rule | West Virginia has no statewide aerosol can rule — WVDEP's REAP recycling section works on keeping municipal solid waste out of landfills and lists local recycling and takeback programs; ask your county solid waste authority what it accepts. | West Virginia DEP checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |
| Wisconsin | Special drop-off | Wisconsin DNR puts aerosol cans in the "take it" column of its household hazardous waste table — bring them to a household hazardous waste or Clean Sweep collection, and keep cans sealed while you store them. | Wisconsin DNR checked 2026-08-19 | Drop-off finder |
| Wyoming | No statewide rule | Wyoming has no statewide aerosol can rule — DEQ says state law requires all solid waste to be disposed of, treated or recycled at facilities approved by both its Solid and Hazardous Waste Division and the local county, city or town; ask your community landfill what it takes. | Wyoming DEQ checked 2026-08-19 | County programs |