A half-used bag of fertilizer can stay in the shed for years. Before you move it, read the label because the ingredients, condition, and local rules determine your next step.
If the product is usable, applying it exactly as labeled or giving it to someone who can is often simplest. Otherwise, contact your household hazardous waste program.
Check What Is in the Package
Keep the package closed and read the entire label. Look for disposal directions, active ingredients, warnings, and whether the product also contains a pesticide or herbicide.
| Product condition | What to do |
|---|---|
| Usable and clearly labeled | Use it only as directed or offer the intact package to another gardener. |
| Fertilizer plus weed killer or pesticide | Follow the pesticide label and ask the local hazardous waste program about leftovers. |
| Wet, clumped, contaminated, leaking, or unlabeled | Do not use or combine it. Ask the local program how to handle it. |
| Farm, landscaping, or business quantity | Use commercial or agricultural waste guidance rather than household collection rules. |
EPA requires pesticide products to carry disposal directions. Its household pesticide-label guidance covers combination products such as fertilizer with herbicide.
Do not improvise a disposal method that conflicts with the label. If directions are missing or unreadable, contact the manufacturer and your local solid waste agency.
Use or Give Away Usable Fertilizer
Apply fertilizer only to a site and plant listed on the label. Measure the area and use the stated rate; adding extra can damage plants and increase runoff.
Do not make up a dilution for houseplants. Lawn fertilizer may be unsuitable for pots, and products with herbicide can injure plants that are not listed on the label.
You can offer a sealed, legible package to a neighbor, community garden, or gardening group. Tell the recipient what it is and let them inspect the label first.
Do not give away a leaking, contaminated, recalled, or unidentified product. Confirm that the recipient can legally use it as labeled.
Use a Household Hazardous Waste Program
Your city or county may accept fertilizer at a permanent site or seasonal event. Search the official waste directory and call about the exact product.
King County, Washington, accepts household fertilizer containing pesticides or herbicides at hazardous-waste sites. It excludes professional fertilizer.
Under King County’s rules, plain solid fertilizer goes in the garbage. Residents may solidify plain liquid fertilizer with an absorbent before putting it in the garbage.
Ask about residency, container size, appointments, and whether the program accepts plain fertilizer, fertilizer-pesticide combinations, or damaged packages.
Store and Transport Leftovers
- Keep a sound package closed with its original label attached.
- Place the sound package upright in a compatible secondary tub.
- Keep it dry and away from children, pets, food, and animal feed.
- Secure the tub during the trip.
Never mix two fertilizers or combine fertilizer with cleaners, fuel, pesticides, or other waste. EPA’s household hazardous waste guidance warns that incompatible products can react or become unrecyclable.
If a container is badly corroded or actively leaking, do not move it until your local hazardous materials office or fire department gives you instructions.
Can Fertilizer Go in the Trash?
There is no single US rule for household trash. Some local programs permit certain plain fertilizers in small quantities, while others direct them to special collection.
Check the product label and your hauler’s written rules. Do not assume double-bagging makes every fertilizer acceptable.
An empty container also follows its label and local recycling rules. A recycling symbol identifies resin; it does not guarantee that your curbside program accepts the container.
Prevent Runoff and Spills
Never pour fertilizer into a sink, toilet, floor drain, gutter, storm drain, ditch, or body of water. Do not dump concentrated product onto soil to get rid of it.
Sweep dry granules from pavement before rain can carry them away. Return them to the labeled package only when they are clean and uncontaminated.
For a spill, follow the label first. Keep people and animals away, prevent material from reaching drains, and call local authorities if you cannot contain it safely.
Call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 after an exposure, or use webPOISONCONTROL. Call 911 for severe symptoms.
Related Yard and Garden Guides
- How to Dispose of Weed Killer
- How to Dispose of Potting Soil
- How to Dispose of Leaves
- How to Dispose of Pine Needles