Household hazardous waste may NOT be disposed of in the trash!

Hazardous waste, including electronic waste, accounts for significant amounts of toxic waste in landfills. Items such as electronics, fluorescent bulbs and tubes, paints, pesticides, cleaning products, old medications and other chemicals are illegal to put in the garbage or pour down a drain or gutter because they contaminate our soil, drinking water and air.

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Program

Cupertino residents may schedule an appointment for drop-off by calling the Santa County HHW Program at (408) 299-7300 or visiting hhw.org. Some examples of acceptable materials include:

• • • household chemicals, such as paint and fertilizers, thermometers
    • fluorescent bulbs, electronic waste
    • propane tanks
    • medicines and sharps
    • pool and spa chemicals
  • 
    BATTERIES
  • MEDICATIONS
  • PAINT
  • SHARPS

  BATTERIES

  

  Curbside Battery Collection
  Put household batteries (e.g. rechargeable, alkaline, button) inside a tightly sealed plastic bag, and place on the ground next to your recycling cart on collection day.

  Apartment Battery Collection
  Check to see if your building has a designated area for battery collection in your building. If you don’t see one in a shared location, contact your property manager to request a collection.

  Property Managers
  Establish a centrally located collection container at your property – a lobby, multi-use room, mail room or clubhouse – for residents to place their bagged batteries. When you’re ready to schedule a collection, place them all in a sealed plastic bag and leave in the mutually determined collection location for collection.

  For safety, please tape over the contact points of each lithium battery. Look for “Lithium” or “Li” (most button and rechargeable batteries).

  MEDICATIONS

  

  When medications are disposed of in the trash or down the drain, they can end up in the wrong hands, or in our soils and waterways. Waste water treatment facilities are not properly equipped to remove medicinal substances from the water. The result? A wide range of pharmaceuticals have been found in our rivers and lakes.

  Drop Off
  Although we do not handle medications, you can drop them off for safe handling at the West Valley Patrol Station (Sheriff’s office), 1601 S. De Anza Blvd, Cupertino, and select pharmacies. You can also search for a drop-off kiosk near you through the Med-Care Project or request a mail back envelope to dispose of medications and sharps.

  PAINT

  

  Drop Off
  PaintCare offers take-back programs at no charge. Find a location to drop off interior and exterior paints, primers, thinners, and solvents.

  Cupertino residents may also schedule an appointment by calling the Santa County HHW Program at (408) 299-7300 or visiting hhw.org

   

  SHARPS

  

  Residents with medical conditions requiring the use of hypodermic needles are required to arrange for proper disposal. California law prohibits the disposal of “sharps waste” in trash or recycling containers.

  Home generated sharps waste includes: Hypodermic needles, pen needles, syringes, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for medical purposes.

  Drop Off & Take Back Programs
  Recology South Bay does not handle sharps. Please place home-generated sharps waste in biohazard containers (available for purchase at local pharmacies and some office supply stores) and contact your health care provider, local pharmacies, hospitals or clinics to ask if they offer a collection program.

  You can also search for a drop-off kiosk near you through the Med-Care Project or request a mail back envelope to dispose of medications and sharps.

  For more information on pharmacies and other locations that accept used sharps waste within the Santa Clara County or to use its Online Appointment System to dispose of your sharps waste, visit Santa Clara Department of Health: Household Hazardous Waste Program or call 408-299-7300.

  Mail-Back Service
  Check out CalRecycle’s sharps waste mail-back services.