If you want to dispose of Hazardous Waste, call 441-2005 for information.
What Are Household Hazardous Wastes?
Where Can I Take Household Hazardous Waste?
Household Hazardous Waste Schedule
How
Much Can I Bring At One Time And What Does It Cost?
What’s
The Difference Between Household And Business Waste?
Where
Can Businesses Dispose of Hazardous Waste?
How
To Transport Hazardous Waste
Mixed
Bag Of Good Things To Know
What
We Do With All The Stuff We Get
What Are Household Hazardous Wastes?
Many products found in your home are potentially hazardous substances. When discarded, they are considered household hazardous waste. Since they may threaten human health or the environment when inappropriately disposed of, household hazardous wastes are not exempt from California hazardous waste laws. It is illegal to dispose of household hazardous waste in the trash, down storm drains, or onto the ground. Household hazardous wastes are considered hazardous because they fit into one or more of the following categories:
Toxic:
Poisonous or lethal when ingested, touched, or inhaled—even in small
quantities.
Flammable:
Ignites and burns easily.
Corrosive:
Eats away materials and living tissue by chemical action.
Reactive:
Reacts with other substances. Byproducts of the reaction could be fire,
explosion, toxic gas release, or other unpleasant and/or surprising events.
Before buying a product, read the label. Signal words can serve as a guide to the purchases you make. Terms like DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION or POISON indicate that the product is probably hazardous in some way. Other words to look out for include FLAMMABLE, COMBUSTIBLE, INFLAMMABLE or HAZARDOUS. Also watch for key phrases, such as KEEP AWAY FROM FLAME or KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. If a label carries warnings about not mixing the product with any other product, it’s most likely a hazardous material of some sort.
In a nutshell, just about any non-food item could become hazardous waste when you throw it away. Some food items would also fall into this category (salt, baking soda, vinegar) but you would have to be disposing of huge amounts for it to become an issue. On the other hand, cosmetics are not hazardous waste. Go figure.
Another way to look at it is; if you bought something at a drugstore, or a garden supply shop, or a hardware store, then it’s probably hazardous waste when time comes to dispose of the material.
While we’re on the topic,
let’s clear up a few things about hazardous waste. Nothing is hazardous waste
until it is thrown away or otherwise disposed of. Prior to that magic event, all
of that nasty old paint that’s cluttering up your garage is just ordinary
consumer commodity. Not that you want to get it in your eye, or let the kids
play in it, but it’s not HazWaste. However, as soon as you make the fateful
decision to let go of that 15 year old paint, it becomes hazardous waste.
Unless, of course, it’s dried out latex, in which case it’s just trash. This
hazardous waste concept even applies to brand new stuff. If you bought some
varnish yesterday, didn’t even open the can, and decide to throw it away
tomorrow, it’s hazardous waste.
- Never
leave household hazardous products or wastes within reach of children or
pets. When possible, buy products with less harmful ingredients.
- When
using a product, read and follow the label directions, never mix it with
other products, and use it up entirely.
- Do
not dispose of household hazardous wastes in the trash, on the ground, or in
storm or sewer drains.
- Do
not remove product labels, and keep unused product in its original
container. If you need to transfer hazardous material to a secondary
container (for instance, paint from a 5 gallon pail to a smaller bucket so
you can paint the ceiling without hauling 60 pounds of paint to the top of
the ladder, where you’re probably going to knock it over and make a huge
mess on the new carpet) put a masking tape label on the smaller container.
Try to avoid using secondary containers for storage.
- DO
NOT STORE ANY KIND OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL OR PRODUCT IN FOOD
CONTAINERS. That’s how people and pets get killed.
.
Where Can I Take Household Hazardous Waste?
·
Used motor
oil, oil filters, and antifreeze may go to the Hawthorne Recycle Center on
Hawthorne Street in Eureka, or the Arcata Community Recycling Center in Arcata
during all open hours. Used motor oil, and oil filters can also be taken to
Kragen Auto Supply in McKinleyville, Eureka, or Fortuna.
·
Household
batteries can be taken to the Hawthorne Street Recycle Center or the Arcata
Recycle Center during normal business hours.
·
Unbroken
fluorescent tubes should go to the Garbage Transfer Station on Hawthorne Street
in Eureka.
·
All
household hazardous waste, including the above-listed items, can be brought to
our Household Hazardous Waste Facility during our normal hours of operation
(every Friday and Saturday, 9 A.M. to 1 P.M.). The HHW Facility is located at
the Hawthorne St. Transfer Station, in the red building. Drive in through the
Recycling Center gate, then follow the signs and traffic markers to the HHW
Facility.
Household Hazardous Waste Schedule
H.H.W.
will be open every Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. We are
located at 1059 W. Hawthorne St., in Eureka. We put this part in larger type so
it would stand out and really grab your attention.
How
Much Can I Bring At One Time And What Does It Cost?
California
state law specifies the following load limits per vehicle for household
hazardous waste;
Liquids:
15 gallons, counted by container size, not by the amount of product
remaining in the container. Thus, a 1 gallon paint can that is one third
full still counts as a gallon. Four 1-quart cans count as a gallon, etc. With
aerosol (spray) cans, figure roughly eight cans makes a gallon, unless you have
a bunch of those little bitty spray cans. In that case, 16 cans makes a gallon.
Solids:
125 lbs.
Mixed
loads (liquids and solids: 125 lbs. If
you’re not sure whether the material you have is a solid or a liquid (creams,
gels, roof patch stuff, etc.) check the label to see if the product is sold by
weight or by volume. Solids are sold by weight, liquids by volume.
We request a $5 donation per vehicle per trip. Donations are strictly voluntary. There is no charge for loads that are within the legal limits. There is a limit of one trip per day per person.
Loads
larger than the legal limit will be assessed a fee. Fees are based on the type
and amount of material over the legal load limit, and can be quite expensive. If
you’re debating whether to just pay the fee so you don’t have to make two
trips from way out in the boondocks, be advised that it’s cheaper to make the
two trips. A lot cheaper.
What’s
The Difference Between Household And Business Waste?
Household
hazardous waste is material that is generated by the residents of a dwelling, as
a part of normal daily activities. Normal daily activities do not include
home-based business activities. Okay, now here’s the tricky part. The
residents of the dwelling where the household hazardous waste was generated must
be the people who bring the material to our HHW Facility.
Landlords,
property managers and real estate professionals are not eligible to use the
Household Hazardous Waste program unless they are disposing of material from
their own residence. The same goes for contractors and cleaning services. If the
waste was generated as part of a money-making activity, then it’s business
waste. Keep in mind that we tend to get suspicious if we notice the same vehicle
making numerous trips over several weeks. There’s only so much household
hazardous waste that can accumulate in one residence. And yes, we do keep track
of things like that.
Just
for the record, non-profit organizations, churches and government agencies all
fall under the “business” umbrella.
Where Can Businesses Dispose of Hazardous Waste?
The HHW Facility will accept business waste on Thursdays and only by appointment. To make an appointment, call 441-2005 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays between 9 and 11 in the morning.
There is a charge to dispose of business waste, based on the type and quantity of waste. These charges may be a tax write-off (talk to your accountant), and you also get the benefit of documentation of proper disposal of your waste.
Any business which generates more than 220 lbs. of hazardous waste per month may not use our HHW Facility. There are legal and regulatory issues involved.
The upside of all of this is that businesses get to transport more than 15 gallons per vehicle. Specifically, 27 gallons per vehicle, or 220 lbs. of solid hazardous waste.
How
To Transport Hazardous Waste
Carefully.
Very carefully. Other than that, we prefer to see material in it’s original
container, with a readable label. Of course, that’s not always possible. If
you have an unlabeled container of goo, use a piece of masking tape as a
temporary label. If you have no idea what is in a container, mark it as
“unknown”.
All
containers should have tight-fitting lids, otherwise you’ll probably wind up
with a bunch of toxic slop spilled in your vehicle. That’s a bad thing.
If
you have containers that are leaking, put them in garbage bags to contain the
leakage. All containers should be carefully packed into cardboard boxes for
security during transport. Please do not pack your household hazardous waste
into plastic totes or bins, or any other container that you want returned to
you. It can take a fair amount of time to empty out a bin or tote, and meanwhile
the line behind you is getting longer.
The
exception to the “no-return” rule is fuel cans. If you bring in old gas,
kerosene, Diesel, etc., we will strive to empty the container and return it to
you if you so request. However, the product in the container must match
the container label/color code. That means gasoline must be in red gas cans,
kerosene in blue kerosene cans, Diesel in yellow Diesel cans. If you bring in
used motor oil in a five gallon red gas can, you’re not getting the container
back. That container is now contaminated, and must be treated as such. We’re
not doing it to be mean, there are consumer safety and liability issues
involved.
Remember
to stay within the legal load limits.
Mixed
Bag Of Good Things To Know
·
About Used Motor Oil: Please,
please do not put used motor oil in old bleach jugs or liquid laundry soap
containers. The residual chlorine contaminates the oil and makes it useless for
recycling. Oil that can’t be recycled usually winds up being incinerated.
·
Latex Paint Cans: If you have a can
of latex paint that is empty and dry, you can dispose of it as trash. If you
have several cans of latex paint that are almost empty, feel free to pour them
all together and bring us the kind of full can. Leave the lids off of the
empties, let them dry out and toss ‘em out with the trash. This only applies
to latex paint, and do not mix latex paint with other types of paint.
That’s a very, very bad thing which makes us very cranky when we find it.
·
Old prescription medicines: It’s
not eco-groovy to flush old meds down the toilet anymore. Doing so can affect
the proper functioning of the wastewater treatment plant that receives your
goodies. Now, the best way to dispose of old prescription medicine is to bring
it down to our HHW Facility. Please keep the meds in their original containers.
If you have privacy concerns, use a permanent marker to cover any personal
information on the label. The only label information that we need is the product
name and expiration date.
· If you have something that you’re uncertain of, feel free to give us a call at 441-2005, on any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, between 9 and 11 in the morning. We will do our best to answer any questions you have.
· Illegal dumping. Some folks see fit to toss their hazardous material by the side of the road or on somebody else’s property. If you spot somebody engaged in illegal dumping, call local law enforcement. If you should happen to come across something which has been dumped, and you suspect it might be hazardous waste, don’t pick it up. If you disturb the material, you might be exposing yourself to who-knows-what kind of hazard. We have all kinds of horror stories we could tell you. The best thing to do if you find something which has been dumped is to call the Humboldt County Division of Environmental Health at 441-6215.
What
Do We Do With All The Stuff We Get?
We try to recycle as
much as possible. We have 22 different recycling streams that come out of our
HHW Facility. We also have 17 separate waste streams, but we’re working on
reducing that number. Anything which is still useable for it’s original
purpose goes over to the Re-useable Locker at the Eureka Recycling Center.
Call 441-2005 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, between 9 and 11 in
the morning if you want to talk to a real, live person. If you call at any other
time you will get to listen to a recording, which is quite informative in it’s
own way.
HUMBOLDT COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH - (707) 445-6215
CALIFORNIA
INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD - (916) 341-6000
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF
TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL -
(800)
728-6942