Free Household Hazardous Waste Collection Set for Oxford, Residents Only

Oxford residents and neighbors can bring leftover paint, motor oil, batteries, electronics and old appliances to a free household hazardous waste collection at the Lafayette County Arena on Buddy East Parkway on Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is organized by the Three Rivers Solid Waste Management Authority and Three Rivers Planning & Development District with partners including the City of Oxford-Lafayette County, Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, Lee County and Waste Connections. The collection is for residents only; commercial and agricultural waste will not be accepted.

Accepted household items published in event listings include aerosols, all-purpose cleaners, ammonia, antifreeze, brake fluids, batteries, barbecue lighter fluid, chlorine bleach, detergents, disinfectants, drain opener, engine fluids, fertilizers, furniture polish, gasoline and gas additives, glass cleaner, glues, herbicides, insecticides, mothballs, motor oil, oven cleaner, paints and paint thinner, pesticides, photographic chemicals, pool chemicals, stains, turpentine, varnish and water sealant. Electronics and computer waste, TVs, fluorescent bulbs and metals are listed as acceptable, and old appliances such as freezers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, compressors and water heaters are specifically enumerated. The Lee County listing and other notices show "Tires (25 Maximum)" accepted per household.

Organizers and published materials also draw attention to compressed gas policies: propane cylinder tanks appear on accepted-items lists while helium tanks are explicitly not accepted. The event materials advise residents not to bring sofas, roofing shingles, regular household trash, biological or infectious materials, explosives, radioactive materials or unknown substances. Some notices state "old prescriptions" and "some outdated medical supplies" will be accepted; residents with controlled substances or sharps should call ahead to confirm handling requirements.

Three Rivers Planning & Development Division director of the government functions division Doug Wiggins emphasized the program is meant to prevent unsafe disposal and cover disposal costs: "It’s free of charge to the residents of those seven counties," Wiggins said, and "The Authority covers the disposal cost associated with that." Wiggins warned of environmental risks from improper dumping: "If somebody just gets rid of asbestos and throws it out on the ground or in a ditch, and water runs through it and carries it down the road, you end up with harmful, hazardous waste products that could eventually seep through the ground and end up in the water table." He added that Three Rivers separates items for recycling when possible and disposes of unrecyclable material "in a permitted facility that can accept those type of items," noting tires are broken down into rubber mulch and appliances are disassembled and melted into raw materials.

Event listings give the site address as Lafayette County Arena on Buddy East Parkway, with one listing showing 70 FD "Buddy" East Parkway, near Highway 6 and County Road 406. For confirmation of the full address, residency requirements and any special drop-off rules, call (662) 489-2415 or email clean@oxfordms.net. Oxford Environmental Services will hold a related Community Shredding Day on April 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the National Guard Armory parking lot at the Oxford Conference Center; questions about shredding can be directed to recycling@oxfordms.net.