COUNTYWIDE : New Sites to Handle Hazardous Materials

Disposing of oil-soaked rags, used insecticide cans and other hazardous household waste will soon be more convenient for county residents as new collection sites open.

Only one site, in Anaheim, now accepts hazardous household trash. But within a year, at least five new sites will open in the county, including two in Huntington Beach and Stanton within a few months, said Janice Oest, coordinator for the county Fire Department’s hazardous materials collection program.

“Residents of Orange County have not had an alternative to get rid of hazardous household materials,” other than special, one-time-only collections, she said.

Each new site in the county will accept up to 5 gallons or 50 pounds of refuse per person, Oest said.

Making the collection points more accessible to county residents is important because it reduces the amount of hazardous chemicals that are dumped with innocuous waste in ordinary landfills, said Huntington Beach public works analyst Jim Sankey. “A lot of people are throwing stuff away that they’re not supposed to. But now there will be a place they can take it without charge,” he said. The Huntington Beach collection site will open in November at the Rainbow Disposal Co. Inc., 17121 Nichols St.

Stanton expects to begin collections by Jan. 1, and San Juan Capistrano, Brea and Irvine are expected to open sites within the next year, Oest said.

In the meantime, the Anaheim Regional Collection Center remains open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to. 1 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.