Out with the old, in with the new! February is something of an in-between month, in the best possible way: the revitalizing New Year energy still lingers, mixing with the knowledge that spring is just around the corner. There’s no other month where you can get fired up by the new-calendar-on-the-wall refresh and get bit by the spring cleaning bug. One easy way you can clear out some metaphorical (and potentially literal) cobwebs is by planning a visit to your near S.A.F.E. Center or CleanLA HHW Center.

Whether it’s a fleet of battery-operated candles on their last flickers or a computer keyboard that didn’t quite survive its encounter with eggnog last winter, LASAN’s S.A.F.E. Centers are here to collect your e-waste, household chemicals, old lightbulbs, aerosols, and more. You can also visit one of the two permanent CleanLA HHW centers, if these are more convenient for you.

S.A.F.E. stands for Solvents, Automotive, Flammables and Electronics. It’s a fitting acronym because these centers help you eco-consciously dispose of your household hazardous waste (HHW). When HHW items are improperly disposed of, they can wind up in landfills, where their toxins can seep into the soil and surrounding communities.

Not sure what qualifies as HHW? Here’s a checklist of the items you can drop off at your nearest S.A.F.E. Center (from their website):

  • Aerosol Cans
  • Asbestos
  • Batteries (alkaline, lithium, lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, car/RV batteries)
  • Compressed Gas Cylinders (propane, butane, helium, MAPP gas, and fire extinguishers)
  • Electronic Waste (TVs, Computers, Monitors, Printers, Cell Phones, Cables/Wiring)
    • A complete list of the E-waste the Centers do and do not accept can be found here.
  • Home-generated Sharps and Medications**
  • Household Cleaning Products
  • LED Light Bulbs, Fluorescent Tubes/Bulbs and Ballasts (with no metal fixtures)
  • Paints and Solvents
  • Pool and Garden Chemicals
  • Treated/Contaminated Wood**
  • Used Motor Oil, Oil Filters, Antifreeze and other Automotive Fluids
  • Mercury-containing thermostats

A Note on E-Waste

Remember the old conservation adage, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle?” Before bringing your e-waste to a disposal site, consider if it can be repurposed, or newly-loved by a local school or community center. Your old phones, TVs, printers, and the like may be able to live a second life yet!

Remember, in the state of California, it’s against the law to dump e-waste in any of our trash bins. And this goes for batteries, too – even though batteries feel like ever-present representatives of a more analog past, that doesn’t mean they’re benign. In fact, the chemicals that many batteries contain are toxic; lithium batteries’ titular element can even cause fires! To protect your community, the best option is to bring old batteries to the HHW experts.

Spring into Cleaning

So, while you’re sorting out your “keep,” “donate,” and “recycle/toss” piles, add a new designation to the list: “bring to the HHW/S.A.F.E Centers.” You’ll be doing the right thing for your community’ health and for the environment, while also clearing out some new space in your cabinets. Which, we can SAFEly say, is a pretty great deal all-around.