Accepted Items

Many toxic products come in aerosol cans, including household cleaners, pesticides, paint, lubricants, tire inflators, hair spray, deodorants, and many others. If you have full or partially full aerosol cans to dispose, bring them to our HHW facility in Salinas. EMPTY aerosol cans may be recycled in your curbside recycle bin or at any of SVR’s facilities.

Contains toxic chemicals that can cause serious health problems and even death. It is especially dangerous to animals and children because of its sweet taste. Two tablespoons of antifreeze can kill a small dog!

Never dispose of spent antifreeze in the garbage, toilet, sink or storm drains. Please take it to one of SVR’s locations.

The kind used in flashlights, toys, electronics, watches, hearing aids, etc. – contain small, but very potent amounts of heavy metals and corrosive chemicals. These toxic substances can contaminate our soil and water if they end up in the landfill. It has been illegal to put household batteries into the garbage since 2006.

Consider buying and using rechargeables instead of single-use batteries or look for items that don’t require batteries (e.g. hand wound watch). Rechargeable batteries have a much longer life span: up to 800 charge-discharge cycles before they have to be replaced.

Residential customers can drop off used batteries for free at any of SVR’s facilities or Battery drop-off locations.

Additional drop-off locations for rechargeable batteries ONLY:

Rechargeable batteries can be dropped off for recycling at any store that also sells them, e.g. Radio Shack, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Office Depot/Staples. To find a participating retailer in your zip code visit Call 2 Recycle.

Tip: Get a free battery bucket from SVR or use an empty jar or sealable plastic bag to collect spent household batteries at home or at work.

Also referred to as a lead-acid battery, contain about 21 pounds of lead, 3 pounds of plastic and 1 gallon of sulfuric acid each! These materials pose a hazard to people’s health and the environment if they’re not handled properly.

Please recycle your car battery at one of the following locations, so that the materials can be reclaimed and made into new batteries (some locations may even pay you or provide a refund for returning the spent batteries).

Such as Chlorine or Bleach is one of the most corrosive and deadly chemicals and yet it can still be found at every supermarket and drugstore in the nation, and under countless kitchen sinks. Choose Less Toxic Alternatives or make your own non-toxic cleaners with a few simple ingredients!

Never pour cooking oils, fats or greases down the drain. Even small amounts can cause problems in your home plumbing or further down the sewer line. Instead collect used cooking oil in a container for recycling; small amounts of grease can be put directly into the garbage. Businesses must collect and recycle cooking oil and grease. Visit Clog Busters for more information.

Used cooking oil can be recycled into soaps, industrial lubricants, biodiesel and other products.

Cooking oil can also be recycled for free at SVR’s HHW Collection Facility in Salinas.

CFL’s (compact fluorescent lights) or fluorescent tubes and bulbs are safe while in use but are considered hazardous waste when discarded. They contain toxic mercury vapor and other heavy metals such as cadmium and lead. When fluorescent tubes and bulbs are broken or crushed in the landfill, heavy metals are released. They can contaminate soil and water, and harm wildlife.

Spent fluorescent tubes and bulbs can be dropped off for recycling at SVR’s HHW Collection Facility in Salinas or most major home improvement retailers, including Lowe’s, Home Depot and Ace Hardware, offer free recycling collection for unbroken bulbs.

Tip: Bundle and tape tubes together to avoid breakage.