Hazardous Waste Center Plans OKd

The Simi Valley City Council has approved plans to set up a center where hazardous household waste products, including paint and motor oil, can be collected and recycled.

The waste-recycling center is expected to open in about three months at 670 W. Los Angeles Ave., adjacent to the county’s Animal Regulation Holding Facility, said Pat Pieres, the city’s acting deputy director of environmental services.

City staff members said they have twice sought bids to construct such a facility, but in each case the bids exceeded the $50,000 set aside to build the center. Most recently, the low bid was $126,900.

The council voted unanimously to reject the most recent bids and to instead buy a smaller prefabricated collection and storage unit. This structure, along with a concrete slab, an enclosure and landscaping, is estimated to cost about $55,000.

When it is completed, the center is expected to be open each Saturday morning, Pieres said. Residents will be able to drop off latex paint, anti-freeze, used motor oil and automobile batteries, all at no charge.

The materials will be recycled, helping the city comply with a state law that orders it to reduce the amount of waste that is placed in landfills. “This will give people a convenient legal option to dispose of these materials,” Pieres said.