Hazardous Waste Collection Center Opens Saturday

Have some old motor oil or a computer monitor laying around that you don't know what to do with?

Long Beach residents now have a more convenient way of disposing of their hazardous and electronic waste with the opening of an Environmental Collection Center in Signal Hill beginning Saturday, March 9.

According to the city, the center will open on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. for residents to dispose of unneeded items such as bleach, chemicals, fertilizers, televisions, and batteries.

Normally, residents have to wait for the bi-yearly household hazardous waste pickup or drive to regional centers to dispose of their hazardous waste. With the opening of the Signal Hill center, Long Beach mayor Bob Foster said the process is more readily available and convenient.

“This new Environmental Collection Center will enable residents to properly manage and recycle, rather than stockpile their household hazardous waste, electronic waste, household sharps and unused/expired medications,” Foster said in a release.  “Residents now have a centrally-located drop-off site, and our neighborhoods, storm channels and beaches will be cleaner and safer.”

According to the city, the center will accept up to 15 gallons of waste per car, per visit during the center's normal hours.

A list of items that will be accepted include:

• Cleaners, bleach, drain openers, floor and furniture polish, spot removers
• Oil- and water-based paint, thinners, solvents, furniture strippers
• Disposable batteries, fluorescent bulbs and tubes
• Garden pesticides, insecticides, and chemical fertilizers
• Pool chemicals
• Used motor oil and filters, car batteries and automotive fluids
• Home-generated sharps and medicines
• Electronic waste, such as cell phones, computer monitors and televisions

The center will not accept business-generated waste, ammunition, explosives, biological waste, tires or bulky items such as refrigerators or washing machines.

The environmental center, located at 2755 California Avenue, Signal Hill, was funded and planned with a public-private partnership that included the City of Long Beach, City of Signal Hill, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County and EDCO Disposal.

For more information on the center and how to dispose of household waste, visit www.longbeach-recycles.org or call the city's recycling hotline at 562-570-2876.