Hazardous-Waste Roundup Is Scheduled in Inglewood

Los Angeles County residents can bring toxic trash they know they should not be tossing in the garbage to a hazardous-waste roundup in Inglewood Saturday.

Workers at the county-sponsored roundup will take toxic chemicals, motor oil and pesticides and dispose of them in an environmentally sound manner.

“You’ll feel good about that,” said Joe Reilly, who oversees the hazardous-waste program for the county sanitation districts. “And you won’t have to pay for it.”

Household hazardous waste should be kept in its original labeled container and placed in a sturdy box. The roundup is between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Hollywood Park. Cars may enter at gate 4 on Century Boulevard.

Containers with tight lids, such as plastic laundry detergent bottles, may be used to hold liquids, but Reilly warned that mixing chemicals can cause dangerous reactions and makes it difficult to identify and dispose of the chemicals.

Household hazardous waste includes pool chemicals, paints, solvents, cleansers, herbicides and even flea collars. Charcoal lighter fluid, recently targeted by the Air Quality Management District for removal from store shelves, is also considered hazardous waste.

When these items are thrown into garbage cans, toxic chemicals end up in landfills and can leach their way into ground water. When flushed down toilets or poured down drains and gutters, these substances end up in the ocean.

Businesses will not be allowed to bring hazardous waste to the roundup, and explosives, ammunition and radioactive and medical waste will not be accepted.

Reilly estimated that each car that shows up will bring waste whose disposal will cost the county $150. Hazardous-waste contractors must identify the waste and recycle it or treat it accordingly.