Waste Board Funds Household Hazardous Waste Programs: $5 million in grants distributed for community projects

SACRAMENTO--The California Integrated Waste Management Board awarded $5 million in grant funding for construction of sustainable Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection facilities and implementation of retail take-back and Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives.

The grants are designed to assist local government efforts to reduce the amount of waste going to California landfills by building needed infrastructure and providing outreach.

"Many household hazardous items are prohibited from our State's landfills. It's essential that Californians have safe, reliable facilities where household hazardous items like paint, solvents, batteries, and fluorescent bulbs to be disposed of properly," said Board Chair Margo Reid Brown. "These grants will help local governments establish or improve their programs of diverting these potential dangerous materials out of the landfills, roadsides and waterways."

Assembly Bill 2448 (Eastin) established the Household Hazardous Waste Grant Program and authorized the Board to award grants to cities, counties, and local agencies, including tribal governments, that manage programs to reduce hazardous products flowing into landfills.

AB 3348 (Eastin) amended the program to focus funding priorities toward new programs for rural areas, underserved areas, and small cities; expansion of existing programs to provide for the collection of additional waste types, innovative or more cost-effective collection methods, or expanded public education services; and regional household hazardous waste programs (multi-jurisdictional programs).

The Board funded 18 grant applications, representing 66 jurisdictions across California, including a regional collection program in Butte, Glenn, and Colusa counties in Northern California for medical sharps waste and other household hazardous waste materials, and a new collection center in rural southern Imperial County.

The complete list and details of each grant includes:

Grant Awards by Region

Northern California

Name	Award Amount	Project Description
Rural Counties Environment Services Joint Powers Authority (ESJPA)	$400,000	Implement a regional collection program for sharps and other HHW materials in Butte, Glenn and Colusa counties, including establishing new collection sites and improving existing ones.
Marin County	$250,000	Expand current county collection program for growing universal waste problem; establishes more drop-off sites at local business locations.
Town of Paradise	$140,352	Establish a new, permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility to better serve underserved populations in the region.
Modoc County	$272,827	With the help of the U.S. Forest Service, City of Alturas, and county agencies, initiate a countywide sharps program, including a new educational outreach effort; conduct three collection events.
City of San Jose	$250,000	Design and construct a new, permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility within city limits (currently there is no facility).

Central Valley/Central California

Name	Award Amount	Project Description
San Joaquin County	$400,000	Partner with City and County of San Francisco, Tehama County, and other private/public entities to develop the California Paint Product Stewardship Program; includes educational and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and retail take-back components.
Yolo County	$197,680	Adopt resolutions and policies that support EPR; partner with local agencies and jurisdictions to develop educational outreach regarding appropriate medical sharps disposal, especially in currently underserved communities.
Tulare County	$99,732	Work with regional pharmacies and medical providers for collection of home-generated medical sharps; establish collection kiosks at four county health centers.
Regional Waste Management Authority	$400,000	Yuba and Sutter counties will jointly design and construct a second Permanent Household Hazardous Waste Facility in the City of Olivehurst to better serve the growing communities in these two counties.
Tuolumne and Mariposa Counties	$399,568	Partnership will develop three satellite facilities for HHW collection service and pick-up service for the senior population.
City of Elk Grove	$250,000	Plan and design a new, permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility to serve both Elk Grove and southern Sacramento County residents (currently there is no facility).

Southern California

Name	Award Amount	Project Description
City of Long Beach, partner with Los Angeles County	$400,000	Design and construct a new, permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility.
City of Palm Desert	$250,000	Expand recycling operations at existing, permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility, as well as expand public education outreach and HHW collection events.
City of Los Angeles	$250,000	Develop and implement partnerships with local retail stores, pharmacies, and public agencies to better manage home-generated sharps.
San Luis Obispo Integrated Waste Management Authority	$387,435	Establish a regional latex paint "Take Back" program consisting of public government/private business partnerships.
Imperial Valley Resource Management Agency	$267,082	Establish a new, permanent Household Hazardous Waste facility in the south area of Imperial County to better serve the residents of this area, expand existing HHW facilities to collect new HHW and universal waste materials, and increase public awareness efforts.
City of Laguna Woods	$106,342	Expand existing curbside HHW collection, especially targeting the home-bound senior community; expand and improve current public education and outreach efforts.
Western Riverside Council of Governments	$358,810	Design and implement a regional public education campaign for HHW management and disposal; establish more retail take-back partnerships and more collection sites in the region.

The grants were awarded under the Household Hazardous Waste Grant Program, which helps relieve the financial burden of local governments for managing problematic waste streams. The grant program has provided for new or expanded household hazardous waste collection and take-back programs throughout many parts of the state.

For more information on the Board's efforts, go to www.ciwmb.ca.gov.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the state's leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes reducing waste whenever possible, managing all materials to their highest and best use and protecting public health and safety and the environment.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is one of six boards, departments, and offices within the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA).

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