Residential Services

Household Hazardous Waste

Ramona Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility

When: 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month by appointment only
What: Disposal of Household Hazardous Waste
Who: Residents of Unincorporated Areas (Including the communities of Ramona, Julian, Santa Ysabel, Lakeside, Ranchita, etc.)
Where: The Ramona Permanent Collection Facility is located at the Ramona Disposal Services Transfer Station at 324 Maple Street.

Appointment Required  – No Exceptions
Click here to schedule an appointment or call (877)R1EARTH (877-713-2784) to schedule an appointment.

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:

  • Aerosol
  • Lighter Fluid
  • All-Purpose Cleaner
  • Used Oil/Oil filters
  • Antifreeze
  • Oven Cleaner
  • Auto Batteries
  • Latex Paint
  • Oil-Based Paint
  • Auto Fluids
  • Disinfectants
  • Pesticides
  • Drain Openers
  • Pool Chemicals
  • Gasoline (w/containers)
  • Solvents
  • Furniture Polish
  • Electronic Waste

Pile of leftover household hazardous waste

The facility will NOT accept business waste, tires, explosives, radioactive material, or medical waste!

  • Do not transport more than the legal limit of 15 gallons or 125 pounds of HHW
  • All container labels must be legible (no worn-off labels)
  • All containers must be sealed and not leaking
  • Do not mix different products into one container
  • HHW must be transported in the trunk of the car or in another area away from passengers and pets

Residential Customers Can Recycle your Household Batteries at Ramona Disposal

Did you know that Americans purchase nearly 3 billion dry-cell batteries every year to power radios, toys, cellular phones, watches, laptop computers, and portable power tools? Dry-cell batteries include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide, and zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button). On average, each person in the United States discards eight dry-cell batteries per year.

Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, contaminating the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. Certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process when incinerated. Recycling batteries keep heavy metals out of landfills and the air. Recycling also saves resources because recovered plastic and metals can be used to make new batteries.

One way to reduce the number of batteries in the waste stream is to purchase rechargeable batteries. Nearly one in five dry-cell batteries purchased in the United States are rechargeable. Over its useful life, each rechargeable battery may substitute for hundreds of single-use batteries.

Residential customers can now conveniently recycle your household batteries (AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V only) for FREE at Ramona Disposal (during operating hours only).

Ramona Disposal Buyback Center
324 Maple St.
Ramona, CA 92065
(760) 789-0516

Important Information on Sharps Waste

New State Regulations
In September 2008, State law (Section 118286 of the California Health and Safety Code) made it illegal to dispose of sharps waste in the trash or recycling containers and required that all sharps waste be transported to a collection center in an approved sharps container.

Section 117671 of the California Health and Safety Code defines “home-generated sharps waste” as hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household, including a multifamily residence or household.

In addition to prohibiting the disposal of sharps waste in the trash, the Medical Waste Management Act requires home-generated sharps to be placed in approved containers for transport and disposal. Users should store the sharps waste in red bio-hazardous containers for easy identification or other approved containers.

Biohazard containers are available for purchase by consumers. Additionally, some jurisdictions have containers available at no cost. Information can be found at county health websites.

Bio-hazard containers can be disposed of in one of four ways:

  • Taken to a local household hazardous waste facility;
  • Taken to a medical waste generator facility (hospitals, clinics, or doctors’ offices);
  • Shipped through a mail-back program;
  • Taken to an approved home-generated sharps waste collection location.

Residential customers can now conveniently dispose of sharps FREE at Ramona Disposal (during operating hours only). Store sharps in approved sharps containers or a rigid, puncture-resistant, tightly sealed container, including bleach bottles, liquid detergent bottles, or coffee cans with lids. DO NOT STORE IN: paper or plastic bags, glass containers, cardboard or coated paper containers, plastic bottles with a CRV (CA Redemption Value), or milk jugs. LOOSE SHARPS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.

Ramona Disposal Buyback Center
324 Maple St.
Ramona, CA 92065
(760) 789-0516

Go to the California Integrated Waste Management Board’s Medical Waste Disposal Directory to find a location to dispose of home-generated sharps properly.

For more information, visit CIWMB’s Sharps web page.

Click here for detailed information about the new state regulations.

Universal Waste

The following universal wastes may not be placed out for curbside collection or disposed of in a bin/container meant for solid waste:

  • Common Batteries – AA, AAA, D cells, C cells, and button batteries (e.g., hearing aid batteries)
  • Fluorescent tubes and bulbs, including mercury-containing lamps
  • fluorescent lights, electronics, batteriesElectronic Devices – televisions, computers and computer monitors, printers, VCR’s, cell phones, telephones, radios, and microwave ovens
  • Pilot Light Sensors – Mercury-containing switches are found in some gas appliances such as stoves, ovens, clothes dryers, water heaters, furnaces, and space heaters
  • Items containing Mercury – Gauges, thermometers, thermostats, and switches
  • Non-Empty aerosol cans that contain hazardous materials – cans that are labeled with TOXIC or FLAMMABLE that are not empty

Please visit the Waste Free SD website or call the County Household Hazardous Waste and Recycling Toll-Free Hotline for additional information: 1 877 R1EARTH (1-877-713-2784).

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. They are available to any resident and business in California. These stores accept paint whenever they are open for business. Below is a link where you can find a drop-off site near you and view hours and restrictions.

Find a PaintCare drop-off location

Prescription Drugs

Do not flush unused, unwanted, and expired medications down the toilet, put them in the drains, or throw them away with the trash. Always make sure to keep medication out of reach of children and pets. Unused, unwanted, and expired medications can be taken to a San Diego County Prescription Drug Collection Box Location and turned in anonymously in a secure collection drop-box.

When disposing of medication, make sure to remove all labels with personal information and recycle the containers at home. Place unneeded pills into a plastic container or zip lock bag.

Find a San Diego County Prescription Drug Collection Box Location

Lithium-Ion Batteries and Electronic Waste

Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries are commonly found in cell phones, laptops, cordless phones, household electronics, or power tools and are considered hazardous waste when discarded. Unfortunately, more and 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 of the metals and/or other toxic or corrosive materials contained within. Even when batteries have reached their end-life, they still hold a small charge. If batteries are not discarded properly, they can potentially explode and cause a fire in a collection cart, truck, or disposal facility when crushed.

Residents may drop off batteries free of charge at our Customer Service office in Ramona or a household hazardous waste collection event at the Ramona HHW Facility by appointment only. See schedule above.

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

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