What is Household Hazardous Waste?

Hazardous waste is unused or leftover portions of products containing toxic chemicals used around the home. Products labeled Caution, Warning, Danger, Poison, Toxic, Flammable, or Corrosive are considered hazardous.

Household Hazardous Waste Includes Leftover:

Residents can properly dispose of toxic household items at no cost at the Environmental Collection Center at EDCO Recycling & Transfer in Signal Hill.

Open the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed the following holiday weekends: May 24, 2025, October 11, 2025 and December 27, 2025).

2755 California Avenue
Signal Hill, CA 90755

Convenient Collection of:

• Household Hazardous Waste
• E-Waste
• Universal Waste
• Sharps & Medicine
• Pesticides & Fertilizers
• …and more

For information about properly disposing of household hazardous materials, call the County Household Hazardous Waste Hotline at 888-253-2652 or 1-800-238-0172.

Or utilize the Earth 911 recycling hotline to locate drop-off programs for hazardous and non-hazardous materials: 1-800-CLEANUP (800-253-2687) or www.earth911.org

Paint

Paint may not be placed out for curbside collection or disposed of in a bin/container meant for solid waste. FREE paint recycling is available at drop-off sites throughout California. Most of these sites are at paint retailers (paint, hardware, and home improvement stores) that have volunteered to take back paint, and they are available to any resident and business in California. These stores accept paint whenever they are open for business. Below is a link to find a drop-off site near you and view hours and restrictions.

Find a PaintCare drop-off location

Lithium-ion batteries and Electronic Waste

Lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries are commonly found in cell phones, laptops, cordless phones, household electronics, and power tools and are considered hazardous waste when discarded. Unfortunately, more dangerous incidents involving explosions or fires caused by improperly disposed cell phones or Li-Ion batteries are reported.

All batteries and electronic waste must be properly recycled or taken to a household hazardous waste disposal facility or event and NEVER placed in trash or recycling carts!

Batteries and most electronic waste are considered hazardous because they contain metals and/or other toxic or corrosive materials. Even when batteries have reached their end-life, they still hold a small charge. If batteries are not discarded properly, they can explode and cause a fire when crushed in a collection cart, truck, or disposal facility.

Residents can bring unwanted Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and E-Waste items, including batteries, for safe and proper disposal at no cost at the Environmental Collection Center located at EDCO Recycling & Transfer in Signal Hill. See details above.

Watch a Short Animated Video on Battery Safety from the Avoid the Spark Campaign