|
Universal Waste ( Batteries, Fluorescent Light Tubes, etc.)
Many common products that we use in our daily lives contain potentially hazardous ingredients and require special care when disposed of. It is illegal to dispose of hazardous waste in the garbage, down storm drains, or onto the ground. Chemicals in illegally disposed hazardous waste can be released into the environment and contaminate our air, water, and possibly the food we eat. And by throwing hazardous waste in the garbage, you can cause additional hazards to your garbage handler. The bottom line is that we must keep hazardous materials out of the trash by bringing them somewhere to be recycled or safely disposed such as a household hazardous waste collection facility.
Regulations to protect public health and the environment have been changing. This is because we now know that some common items that have traditionally been thrown in your household's or small business' trash cannot be safely disposed in landfills. These common items are referred to as hazardous waste, and some of them as "universal waste" (u-waste). As of February 9, 2006, all "u-waste" items are banned from the trash. For additional information on u-waste, please check the Department of Toxics Substances Control (DTSC) Web site.
- Batteries (with the exception of automotive batteries as they are already covered under other regulations)
- CRT devices – computer monitors, televisions, cash registers, and oscilloscopes.
- Computers and computer peripherals
- Telephones and answering machines
- Radios, stereo equipment, tape player/recorders, compact disc player/recorders, videocassette player/recorders, calculators and some small appliances.
- Mercury devices such as thermostats, mercury switches, thermometers, dental amalgam, gages, novelty items, counterweights and dampers, dilators and weighted tubing, rubber flooring and gas flow regulators.
- Mercury lamps, which include but are not limited to, fluorescent, high intensity discharge, neon, mercury vapor, high pressure sodium and metal halide lamps.
- Mercury-added novelty items such as any item intended for use as practical joke, figurines, adornment, toy, game, card, ornament, yard statue or figurine, candle, jewelry, holiday decoration or apparel - i.e. footwear that lights up upon impact.
Environmental Services contact information: (619) 691-5122 or EnvironmentalServices@ci.chula-vista.ca.us
|
