ClearPath
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Public disposal guidance

Every item. Every ZIP.One trusted answer.

Find local disposal rules, recycling guidance, hazardous-waste drop-off sites, and pickup options for any item. Sourced from federal, state, county, and city authorities — with a citation for every answer.

See how it works
  • Disposal intelligence
  • Pickup orchestration
  • Community exchange & donation
Live demo · no signup

Pick something you've wondered about:

Pick anything — every answer is sourced and dated.
444published rules
28take-back programs
8verified facilities
3,222ZIPs covered
5MN counties
See the full receipts on the Trust dashboard →
We show our work

When sources disagree, we say so.

Every verdict is sourced and dated. When two cities publish different rules for the same item, ClearPath picks based on your ZIP — and shows you the reasoning. If you think we got it wrong, you can flag it.

Sources disagree

Wooden chair: Donate in Hennepin · Conditional in Richfield

Hennepin County
Donate (usable or not)
Furniture guide — county-wide donation
248 published rules · in catalog
Richfield (city)
Donate if usable · Special pickup if broken
Chair Rule — conditional on item state
13 city-scope rules · in catalog

ClearPath uses your ZIP to pick the right rule. Richfield's chair rule branches on usable vs broken — the engine asks the resident which one, then routes accordingly. Hennepin's county-wide rule routes to donation without asking. Both are valid in their jurisdiction; we don't average them.

Think your city should be different?
Alkaline battery

Take to Household Hazardous Waste

  1. 1Matched to category: Hazardous waste
  2. 2Applied rule: HHW intake required (federal baseline)
  3. 3Local routing: Hennepin County HHW sites · 1 of 8 verified facilities
EPA Universal Waste Rule · 40 CFR §273Federal rule · in catalog
Why this exists

Real questions residents actually ask.

Every section below is anchored on a question a real Hennepin or Richfield resident has typed into Google in the last 90 days. The right column names the shipped capability that answers it.

  1. Resident question

    "Can I throw this away?"

    The item is in your hand. You don't know if it's curbside, drop-off, donation, or hazardous.

    What happens today: So it sits in the garage with the other “I’ll figure it out later” items — or it goes to the cart and you hope.
    What ClearPath does

    ClearPath identifies it from a photo or a short description and shows the safest path, with the exact rule that produced that path.

    Photo + text classify · sourced verdict
  2. Resident question

    "My city says one thing, this website says another."

    A national disposal blog says recycle. Your city says trash. You pick wrong and feel guilty either way.

    What happens today: Either the wrong bin contaminates a recycling load, or a perfectly recyclable item ends up in landfill. The resident never gets to know.
    What ClearPath does

    ClearPath composes Federal → State → County → City rules into one answer, names the conflict when there is one, and explains which rule won and why.

    Layered authority chain · rule conflict intelligence
  3. Resident question

    "I missed the spring HHW event."

    Hazardous-waste collection runs four times a year. You found out two days too late.

    What happens today: A box of old paint, batteries, and chemicals sits in the basement until next quarter — or worse, in the curb cart, where one lithium cell can torch a garbage truck.
    What ClearPath does

    ClearPath surfaces the next eligible event for your ZIP, plus the year-round drop-off alternatives that don't require waiting for an event.

    Facility hours · seasonal-window enforcement
  4. Resident question

    "Where do I take a lithium battery so it doesn't catch fire in my trash?"

    You read about a garbage-truck fire and want to do this right. You don't know which retailers actually take batteries.

    What happens today: Most residents give up and toss the battery in the cart. National garbage-truck fires from li-ion cells are up sharply year over year.
    What ClearPath does

    ClearPath shows nearby verified take-back partners (Call2Recycle, Best Buy, Home Depot, MN HHW sites), with distance, fee, and what they'll accept.

    Contamination prevention · 28 take-back programs
  5. Resident question

    "I need a hauler to take a couch this weekend."

    Calling phone numbers, leaving voicemails, getting quotes that don't include the dump fee.

    What happens today: You leave it at the curb illegally and risk a fine, or you call seven numbers and get a $250 surprise dump-fee invoice after the fact.
    What ClearPath does

    Schedule a pickup in the app. ClearPath shows verified local haulers, a transparent rate-card or quote-bid path, and the pickup's circular path (donation vs drop-off vs hazard) before the hauler accepts.

    Smart pickup decision · verified hauler network
Local matters

We don't average your county.

Type a ZIP. We show the programs ClearPath knows about right now in your area — dated, sourced, and easy to act on. No login. No email captured. Nothing to unsubscribe from.

Civic service overview
Illustrative · pins update with your ZIP
  • HHW drop-off
    Year-round
  • Bulky pickup window
    Saturday
  • Active programs
    3 open

Or browse the example programs below — every real program has a source + last-verified date in the same shape.

Generic preview
  • Curbside · Quarterly
    Bulky Item Pickup
    Year-round program·Free for residents
    Example county
  • Seasonal
    Yard Waste Collection
    Apr–Nov each year·Included in trash service
    Example city
  • Manufacturer take-back
    Paint & Stain Drop-off
    Open year-round·Free (PaintCare)
    PaintCare partner
Built for residents first

What you get as a resident.

Most residents finish their first scan within 30 seconds.

  • Skip the bin guess

    Type or photograph an item, get a sourced answer, see your local rule — not a national average.

  • One tap to request a bulky pickup

    Programs in your county show real windows, fees, and registration deadlines. No phone tree, no PDF.

  • Programs near you, dated and sourced

    28 manufacturer take-back programs (PaintCare, Call2Recycle, Best Buy, Habitat ReStore…) + county bulky pickup — surfaced where they apply. Save them, get reminded.

Try it free · 30 secondsOr try a quick check (no signup) →
For partners
Cities & counties →
For partners
Haulers →
Take the next step

Three civic actions, no marketing maze.

Each path takes you straight into the working app. No teaser, no email gate, no "schedule a demo" detour.

Scan an item

Type or photograph it. Get a sourced answer.

30 secondsOpen
Request a pickup

Find your county’s windows + register in-app.

2 minutesOpen
Explore programs

Saved programs, reminders, source citations.

Browse anytimeOpen
For cities & haulers:Apply or contact us
Trust foundation

Real people maintain this. Here is the evidence.

Live counters, source jurisdictions, recent shipping cadence, and the accessibility commitments behind it — every claim on this page is something you can audit yourself.

Published rules
444
Manufacturer take-back programs
28
Verified facilities
8
ZIPs covered
3,222
Last refresh
today
Where our data comes from
  • Hennepin County
    248 published rules · per-item sources
  • Minnesota State
    117 statutory + program rules
  • Federal (EPA · FDA · DEA)
    52 rules · Cornell LII citations
  • City of Richfield
    13 conditional + bulky-item rules
  • California + Massachusetts
    Statutory baseline · 14 rules
What we shipped recently
Every change is sourced and dated. The full record lives on the changelog.
  • Landing page counters now read live from the platform1 week ago
  • Accessibility hardening on the public landing1 week ago
  • "Quick check" is now in the public navigation1 week ago
  • Action-oriented status labels on the job board1 week ago
  • Public pages now read in plain English end-to-end1 week ago
Built accessible
  • WCAG AA contrast verified
  • Keyboard-navigable end-to-end
  • Screen-reader tested on key flows
  • Reduced-motion honored
See the public Trust DashboardSee the full changelog