Press Release



Waste Management Offers Area Customers Information for Disposing of “Universal Waste” to Comply with New Regulations

Beginning Feb. 9, Californians Must Take Batteries, E-waste to Designated Disposal Sites


Feb. 7, 2006 - Residents of eastern Ventura County looking for alternatives for disposing of household “universal waste” such as batteries, old cell phones or fluorescent light tubes once it becomes illegal to place these items in trashcans on Feb. 9 have a number of local options, according to Waste Management.

As of Feb. 9, all Californians must dispose of items deemed “universal waste” by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC) at designated recycling centers or household hazardous waste collection centers. Products like this, which have low levels of hazardous metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium and chromium, can potentially contaminate soil and groundwater, so they cannot be disposed of in the trash and subsequently deposited into landfills.

The DTSC announced the new rules applicable to households and small businesses on Jan. 23.

“We understand that the deadline imposed by the state is very quick for not only our customers, but also service providers and local governments,” said Mike Smith, Market Area Manager for Waste Management in the Ventura, Santa Barbara Counties Market Area. “A number of questions also remain about what constitutes universal waste and how it should be handled. However, we are doing what we can to assist our customers and let them know there are a number of local sites available where people can take universal waste to dispose of it safely.”

Among the items designated as universal waste as of Feb. 9 are:
  • Common batteries – AA, AAA, C cells, D cells and button batteries (e.g., hearing aid batteries).
  • Fluorescent tubes and bulbs and other mercury-containing lamps – fluorescent light tubes and bulbs, high intensity discharge (HID), metal halide, sodium and neon bulbs.
  • Thermostats – old-style with the sealed glass “tilt switch,” which contains mercury (the newer electronic kind are not included).
  • Electronic devices – televisions and computer monitors (which were all ready prohibited from household trash), computers, printers, VCRs, cell phones, telephones, radios and microwave ovens.
The following universal waste items have been banned from household disposal for some time:
  • Electrical switches and relays – mercury switches that can be found in some chest freezers, pre-1972 washing machines, sump pumps, electric space heaters, clothes irons, silent light switches, automobile hood and trunk lights, and ABS brakes.
  • Pilot light sensors – mercury-containing switches found in some gas appliances such as stoves, ovens, clothes dryers, water heaters, furnaces and space heaters.
  • Mercury gauges – some gauges, such as barometers, manometers, blood pressure and vacuum gauges, contain mercury.
  • Novelties – examples include greeting cards that play music when opened, athletic shoes (made before 1997) with flashing lights in soles and mercury maze games.
  • Mercury thermometers – mercury thermometers typically contain about a half-gram of mercury. Many health clinics, pharmacies and doctor's offices have thermometer exchange programs that will give you a new mercury-free fever thermometer in exchange for your old one.
  • Non-empty aerosol cans that contain hazardous materials – many products in aerosol cans are toxic and many aerosol cans contain flammables, like butane, as propellants for products like paint. If your aerosol can is labeled with words like TOXIC or FLAMMABLE, don't put it in the trash unless it is completely empty.
For additional information about universal waste, including how to properly dispose of it, visit www.dtsc.ca.gov. Residents may also call the Waste Evaluation help line at (916) 322-7676 for additional assistance in determining what items qualify as universal waste.

Contact the following local jurisdictions for more information about universal waste:
  • City of Simi Valley 805 583-6321 www.simivalley.org
  • City of Moorpark: 805 517-6315 www.ci.moorpark.ca.us
  • City of Thousand Oaks: 805 449-SAVE (7823) www.toaks.org
  • Ventura County: 805 658-4318 www.wasteless.org Additional information about local disposal options is available at www.earth911.org or ccelearn.csus.edu.

    Waste Management is California’s largest provider of recycling and solid waste services. The Company has received numerous awards for its pioneering work in alternative fueled vehicles, habitat conservation, and recycling technologies. For more information visit our web site at www.KeepingVenturaCountyClean.com