Four months into the Household Hazardous Waste Home Collection Pilot Program, the Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE) has announced the Household Hazardous Waste Center would continue its drop-off service between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Saturday through June.
Of course, the OSE hopes to eventually do away with the drop-off service and eventually have Santa Monica residents participate in the Home Collection service. Accordingly, the OSE is offering a free premium stainless steel water bottle to the first 200 residents to schedule Home Collection service this year.
As part of the Home Collection service, participants schedule a pick up of certain hazardous materials (HAZMAT) from their home, which would then be placed in a collection kit that may be left at one’s doorstep or at a predetermined location on collection day.
Residents do not have to be home when the kit is collected.
Waste Management developed the Household Hazardous Waste Home Collection Pilot Program in conjunction with the City of Santa Monica and the OSE. The door-to-door service regularly collects HAZMAT from residents.
Items found in one’s home that are usually considered as HAZMAT include paint, batteries, engine oil, spray paint, and many other household cleaning items.
Santa Monica is the second Los Angeles County municipality to incorporate such a program; the City of Manhattan Beach was the first. The HAZMAT pickup service launched on Aug. 23, 2011.
The City and Waste Management originally planned to completely phase out the drop-off center, located at 2500 Michigan Avenue just off Interstate 10 at Cloverfield Boulevard, earlier this month.
There is no charge for the service nor is there a limit on how much HAZMAT may be collected. The collection routes are determined on a demand basis. It may take about two weeks from initial contact to household pickup.
To schedule a collection service, residents may call Waste Management at 800.449.7587 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, send an email to hotline@curbsideinc.com or obtain more information at www.WMatyourdoor.com. For additional information, please visit sustainablesm.org/hhw or call 310.458.2213.
