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Created on Thursday, 26 September 2013 20:13

Disposal of Household Goods and Hazardous Materials

When we move, we tend to get rid of the items we have not used in some time, placed in the garage or storage in hope that one day we may need to use them again, or if they are broken we hoped to get them fixed. However when you are planning your move, the last thing you think of is the junk you haven't used in some time. Some of us spend a day or two trying to sell it to our neighbors at the "garage sale".

The goods that were left over after the garage sale, you are encouraged to take to Goodwill Industries, Salvation Army and other Chartitable Thrift Stores. Check with they as some do not provide pickup services.

After you have done the "Garage Sale" and made charitable donations you still have a hefty load of items you were not able to get rid of. Some will try to trash them in your garbage bins. Unfortunately, most of those items need to be properly disposed of. As movers we see this practically every day. On the move day it is too late to make any special arrangements. That is why we decided to devote this article to proper disposal of household goods and hazardous materials.

There are different sanitation districts located in designated areas of Southern California regions. These areas are dedicated to protect public health and the environment through innovative wastewater and solid management, and by doing so they convert waste into energy, and into recycled materials.

E-WASTE

This term is applied to electronic equipment, which is no longer working. E-Waste includes:

• computers,
• printers,
• TVs,
• VCRs,
• cell phones,
• fax machines,
• stereo equipment,
• electronic games.
• Televisions
• Computer Monitors
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Monitors & Televisions
• Light Emitting Diode (LED) Monitors & Televisions
• Plasma Televisions
• Computers
• Hard Drives
• Computer peripherals
• Laptops
• DVD Players
• VCR's
• Printers
• Scanners
• Fax Machines
• Copy Machines
• Servers
• Telephones
• Answering machines
• Radios
• Stereo equipment
• Tape players/recorders
• Phonographs
• Printed Circuit Boards
• CD's/Video Cassettes/Beta/DAT Tapes
• Video cassette players and recorders
• Compact disc players, calculators
• Power Supply Units
• Connectors and Cables
• Telecommunications Equipment
• Main Frames
• Peripherals
• All Consumer Electronics
• Some minor appliances
• Electronics may contain lead, copper, and other heavy metals or potentially toxic substances.

To reduce e-waste - we must be thinking of the impact which improper use or disposal will have on our environment.

It is crucial to recycle electronics at the end of their life style, and try to reuse the equipment that still work or can be fixes, and only purchase equipment that you absolutely need.

During local or long distance relocation most of us get rid of the stuff we no longer use, but we don't stop to think of the importance of proper disposal.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT CAN BE BROUGHT TO HHW COLLECTION:

• Motor oil, oil filters, brake fluid
• Used antifreeze
• Paint, paint thinner, turpentine
• Cleaners with acid or lye
• Pesticides or herbicides
• Household batteries or car batteries
• Pool chemicals
• CRTs, old TVs, miscellaneous electronics
• Mercury thermometers or thermostats
• Used Needles or Sharps (in a sharps container or sturdy box labeled "Sharps"
• Unwanted or expired prescriptions
• THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN NOT BRING TO A HHW COLLECTION:
• Explosives
• Radioactive Materials
• Ammunition
• Business Waste
• Appliances (stoves, fridges, etc.)
• Controlled Substances
• Biohazardous Waste (blood, urine, etc.)

There are a few companies in Southern California that offer mixed waste processing. These recycling facilities allow us to process materials through the use of sorting lines, machines, and manual sorting methods to separate out recyclables from mixed trash before landfill disposal.

Helpul phone numbers and links:

United States Environmental Protection Agency

888-CleanLA Helpine,

http://22888cleanla.com

RecyclingCenters

Landfills of Southern California

To avoid interruption of your service, do not place hazardous materials into your trash. If hazardous materials waste is identified, it will be tagged and not collected.

NOTE: Any Electronic Waste collected at these events is sent to a facility within the State of California that certifies that it is 100% demanufactured and recycled to the commodity level in the United States. No Electronic Waste collected at these events is sent overseas.

• How should you prepare?
• Bring the items you wish to dispose of in a sturdy box preferably in their original, labeled containers.
• Do not EVER mix products together.
• It is ILLEGAL to transport more than 15 gallons or 125 pounds of hazardous waste in your personal vehicle.
• Be prepared to leave your containers. Because of permitting requirements, and the volume of people that utilize the program, items such as gasoline cans WILL NOT be returned.

HERE SOME DISPOSAL LOCATIONS YOU SHOULD USE:

Environmental Collection Center at EDCO, Signal Hill

• City of Alhambra - 09/07/13
• City of South Pasadena - 09/07/13
• City of Burbank - 09/14/13
• City of Carson - 09/21/13
• Cities of Beverly Hills & West Hollywood - 09/28/13
• City of Huntington Park - 10/26/13
• City of South El Monte - 10/05/13
• City of Duarte - 10/12/13
• City of Bellflower - 11/02/13
• City of Santa Clarita - 11/09/13
• City of Monterey Park - 11/23/13
• City of Covina - 10/19/13
• Unincorporated South Whittier - 11/16/13
• Unincorporated Lennox - 10/19/13
• City of Malibu - 12/07/13
• City of LaVerne - 12/21/13
• City of Lomita - 12/14/13
• 2801 Madera Rd Simi Valley, CA 93065,(805)579-7267
• 5300 Lost Hills Rd Agoura Hills, CA 91301,(818) 889-0363

TIME OF OPERATIONS FOR MOST OF THE LANDFILLS:

Most landfills are open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday except holidays.

Clean dirt is not accepted for free at this site. Dirt is charged the tipping fee for municipal solid and inert waste. To obtain more detailed information on the Sanitation Districts' criteria for accepting clean dirt at your local landfill facility.

Dirt, green waste, and asphalt loads are accepted during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

PAYMENTS

Payment at the scales must be in cash, credit card (MC, American Express, & Discover Card only), debit card, or by pre-arranged credit. No checks are accepted. All disposal rates, excluding green waste rates, include state, county, and appropriate local fees and taxes.

A-Z Moving & Storage is gladly helping customers with proper disposals of the undesired articles. There is an additional cost assessed for this service. You can call our office to discuss the cost and the payment options with our moving specialists.

Our goals is to provide top of the line service and to protect environment from improper disposals of household goods.

The customer is responsible for separating (setting aside the goods to be trashed - separating hazardous materials from regular trash). If you want our movers to perform separating of hazardous materials there will be additional charge for extra time. The customer is also responsible for the disposal costs listed by your local Landfill and the labor and distance to that disposal facility.

You can also choose to order a recycle bin from a waste management company of your choice, and have the movers help you fill that bin with your trash. The costs of bins vary by their size and your location.

Local jurisdictions are responsible for the collection of solid wastes or trash. Please call your city, county or trash collection company to obtain the information you need.

Please help us keep America - California - and your local neighborhood environmentally safe!