Put Toxic Waste In Its Place

For information call the Earth 911 Recycling Hotline to locate drop-off programs for hazardous and non-hazardous materials: 1-800-CLEANUP (800-253-2687) or www.earth911.org

Or, view the collection services for your area for residential hazardous waste disposal information.

Universal Waste

The following universal wastes may not be placed out for curbside collection or disposed of in a bin/container meant for solid waste:

• Common Batteries – AA, AAA, D cells, C cells and button batteries (e.g. hearing aid batteries)
• Fluorescent tubes and bulbs including mercury containing lamps
• Electronic Devices – televisions, computers and computer monitors, printers, VCR’s, cell phones, telephones, radios and microwave ovens
• Pilot Light Sensors – Mercury containing switches are found in some gas appliances such as stoves, ovens, clothes dryers, water heaters, furnaces and space heaters
• Items containing Mercury – Gauges, thermometers, thermostats and switches Non-Empty aerosol cans that contain hazardous materials – cans that are labeled with TOXIC or FLAMMABLE that are not completely empty

For information on the nearest Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility available to you call 760-745-3203.

Paint

Paint may not be placed out for curbside collection or disposed of in a bin/container meant for solid waste. FREE paint recycling is available at drop-off sites throughout California. Most of these sites are at paint retailers (paint, hardware, and home improvement stores) that have volunteered to take back paint, and they are available to any resident and business in California. These stores accept paint whenever they are open for business. Below is a link where you can find a drop-off site near you and view hours and restrictions.

Find a PaintCare drop-off location

Residential Customers Can Recycle your Household Batteries at EDI

Did you know that Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools? Dry-cell batteries include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button). On average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per year.

Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process. Recycling batteries keeps heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling also saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.

One way to reduce the number of batteries in the waste stream is to purchase rechargeable batteries. Nearly one in five dry-cell batteries purchased in the United States is rechargeable. Over its useful life, each rechargeable battery may substitute for hundreds of single-use batteries.

Residential customers can now conveniently recycle your household batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V only) for FREE at our EDI facility (during operating hours only).

Escondido Disposal, Inc.
1044 W. Washington Ave.
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 745-3203

Residential Customers Can Now Dispose of Your Home-Generated Sharps at EDI

New State Regulations

In September 2008, State law (Section 118286 of the California Health and Safety Code) made it illegal to dispose of sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers, and required that all sharps waste be transported to a collection center in an approved sharps container.

Section 117671 of the California Health and Safety Code defines “home-generated sharps waste” as hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household, including a multifamily residence or household.

In addition to prohibiting the disposal of sharps waste in the trash, the Medical Waste Management Act requires home-generated sharps to be placed in approved containers for transport and disposal. Users should store the sharps waste in red bio-hazardous containers for easy identification or other approved containers.

Bio-hazard containers are available for purchase by consumers. Additionally, some jurisdictions have containers available at no cost. Information can be found at county health websites.

Bio-hazard containers can be disposed of in one of four ways:

• Taken to a local household hazardous waste facility;
• Taken to a medical waste generator facility (hospitals, clinics, or doctors’ offices);
• Shipped through a mail-back program;
• Taken to an approved home-generated sharps waste collection location.

Residential customers can now conveniently dispose of sharps FREE at an EDCO facility near you (during operating hours only). LOOSE SHARPS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Store sharps in approved sharps containers or in a rigid, puncture resistant, tightly sealed container, including: bleach bottles, liquid detergent bottles or coffee cans with lids. DO NOT STORE IN: paper or plastic bags, glass containers, cardboard or coated paper containers, plastic bottles that have a CRV (CA Redemption Value) or milk jugs.

Escondido Disposal, Inc.
1044 W. Washington Ave.
Escondido, CA 92025
(760) 745-3203

To find additional locations to properly dispose of home-generated sharps, go to the CalRecycle’s Medical Waste Disposal Directory.

For more information, visit CalRecycle’s Sharps web page.

Click here for detailed information about the new state regulations.